The ProTruthSC Coalition continues to be concerned about the escalation of book restrictions in South Carolina public schools.
The State Board of Education has scheduled a meeting on October 31 to discuss challenges against eleven books, including frequently taught classics 1984, Romeo and Juliet, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Other books on the chopping block include titles by Elana Arnold, Ellen Hopkins, Colleen Hoover, Sarah J. Maas, and Sally Rooney that are frequently targeted by book censorship groups nationwide. The specific process behind choosing these eleven titles has not been publicly revealed by the committee, although Chair Hanley has indicated that they were chosen preemptively, rather than as a result of parent challenges or appeals.
In a statement about the inclusion of her book Crank, author Ellen Hopkins says, “Are there difficult scenes in the book? Yes. Is the book for every reader? No. But for literally thousands of people, Crank has been a necessary, even lifesaving read. And most of them found it in their school libraries. Not elementary schools, but high schools and, yes, some middle schools. Because not every kid has a nice, scrubbed life.”
Hopkins’ book was inspired by her daughter’s real life struggles with addiction, and by her desire to help inspire young people to avoid the same struggles: “CRANK, which turned 20 years old this month, is a cautionary tale loosely based on my daughter’s walk with the monster drug methamphetamine. Before lobbing judgment, please understand we were an upper middle-class family. She and I sang in our church choir together. Gardened and baked together. Hiked and rode bikes together.”
Because of the language of the regulation, Hopkins’ book and the others on the list could be removed from every public school and school library in the state, if the Board finds that they violate its regulation. Whether individual parents approve of their students accessing the books or not, they will no longer be accessible to the many students who rely on school and classroom libraries.
These challenges, sadly, are the predictable result of State Board Regulation 43-170. ProTruthSC opposed this regulation as currently written precisely because its very vague standard of “age-inappropriateness,” with no requirement to consider artistic, literary, scientific, or historical value, opens up books which have already been approved by local communities to removal by the State Board.
ProTruthSC stands firm in its commitment to support the First Amendment right of students to receive information, and against ideologically-motivated book bans.
The State Board of Education’s Instructional Materials Review Committee will meet on Thursday, October 31, at 1 p.m. via Webex. More information, including the full list of challenged books, is available via the S.C. Department of Education website: https://ed.sc.gov/state-board/state-board-of-education/instructional-materials-review-co mmittee/
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The ProTruthSC Coalition is a growing grassroots coalition of organizations and concerned citizens from across the Palmetto State and beyond. The founding members of the coalition are the E3 Foundation, the Lowcountry Black Parents Association, the ACLU of South Carolina, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. For more information, visit ProTruthSC.org.
