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Laura Mallory (bottom), a mother from Loganville, Ga., speaks to her husband, Cole, as Gwinnett County school board attorney Victoria Sweeny speaks at the Georgia Board of Education during a hearing in Mallory's effort to have "Harry Potter" books removed from the shelves in Gwinnett County public schools. Mallory argued that the books "promote the particular religion of witchcraft" and that children practice spells from the books. "You would think we'd want to do everything we can to remove evil from our schools," she said. Mallory said that she has never read in full any of the "Harry Potter" books. Sweeny argued to keep the books available. Hearing officer L.O. Buckland will make a recommendation to the State Board of Education, but he did not say when that will occur.
