Cedarville School Board Won't Appeal Court Order

On Thursday, April 25, two days after a federal judge in Arkansas ordered the Cedarville School District to put the Harry Potter series back on school library shelves, the Cedarville School Board voted not to appeal the federal court order, as reported by the Associated Press. Last July, two Cedarville parents filed a federal lawsuit challenging the school board's decision to restrict access to the Potter series.

"We're delighted the case is over and that the books are back on the shelves," said Chris Finan, president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, one of a dozen national groups that had filed an amicus brief in support of the parents. "It will be a useful precedent the next time a school board thinks about censoring Harry Potter."

Cedarville Mayor Beverly Pyle attended Thursday's school board meeting and told AP that she was tired of the issue, and added that: "I am a Christian … but I grew up watching Bewitched. I can see both sides."

For a previous article on this subject, click here.