10 challenged books to stay in S.C. school libraries for now
COLUMBIA, S.C. - The South Carolina Board of Education met this week to discuss the potential removal of 10 books from public school libraries, but ultimately decided to postpone the vote.
During Tuesday’s meeting, of the public, including parents, teachers and librarians, spoke on the possible removals.
The titles that were being challenged during Tuesday’s meeting include:
- “Collateral” by Ellen Hopkins
- “Empire of Storms” by Sarah J. Maas
- “Half of a Yellow Sun” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- “Hopeless” by Colleen Hoover
- “Identical” by Ellen Hopkins
- “Kingdom of Ash” by Sarah J. Maas
- “Last Night at the Telegraph Club” by Malinda Lo
- “Living Dead Girl” by Elizabeth Scott
- “Lucky” by Alice Sebold
- “Tricks” by Ellen Hopkins
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All 10 materials had been reviewed at the Beaufort County local board, as the complaints for the titles were all submitted by one woman from Beaufort County.
If the board eventually decides to remove all of the above titles, South Carolina will have removed 21 books from South Carolina school libraries, which sures Utah’s 17 books that have been banned from their schools.
“It is reassuring that the State Board of Education is prioritizing the rights of families, students, and educators rather than the handful of South Carolinians who feel scarily comfortable taking the rights of others,” said Josh Malkin, Advocacy Director for the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina. “I hope that the board will take the time to craft a democratic policy that considers the full context of a written work.”
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The flurry of removals that South Carolina has seen originate from Regulation 43-170, which allows citizens to submit complaints about books found in public school libraries and classrooms by sending a form to the Instructional Materials Review Committee.
The IMRC then reviews the complaints and submits a recommendation to the State Board of Education, which ultimately decides whether or not to remove or retain the challenged book.
The regulation bans “instructional material [that] is not ‘age and developmentally appropriate’ for any age or age group of children if it includes descriptions or visual depictions of ‘sexual conduct,’” the regulation said.
Under Regulation 43-170, the State Board of Education is not required to read the books before making their vote to either remove or retain the material.
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Critics of the legislation argue the law gives one person undue influence over statewide regulation of school library book titles.
The ACLU of South Carolina also stated the targeted books are often works for young adult readers that focus on diverse groups or difficult real-world topics that are written by women or LGBTQ+ authors.
Proponents of the regulation, however, argue the law facilitates necessary book removals in order to protect children from sexual content.
During Tuesday’s meeting, several board expressed hesitancy about the recent applications of Regulation 43-170.
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“I am concerned about potential abuses of a process that we intended to be fair and equitable,” said board member Maya Slaughter.
“I don’t think somebody from Beaufort should make me drive here from Myrtle Beach every meeting to talk about more books,” said board member Ken Richardson. “My question is, when does this thing stop?”
So far, 11 books have been removed from school libraries in the Palmetto State:
- “A Court of Frost and Starlight” by Sarah J. Maas
- “A Court of Mist and Fury” by Sarah J. Maas
- “A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas
- “A Court of Wings and Ruin” by Sarah J. Maas
- “Damsel” by Elana Arnold
- “Ugly Love” by Colleen Hoover
- “Normal People” by Sally Rooney
- “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky
- “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson
- “Flamer” by Mike Curato
- “Push” by Sapphire
As a response to Regulation 43-170, several Democratic State House representatives spoke in February about a “Freedom to Read” bill focused on access to books in public school libraries across South Carolina.
As of now, there is no set date for when the State Board of Education will reconvene to consider the challenged books again.
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