The S.C. Board of Education on Tuesday voted on the fate of two books challenged by a parent under Regulation 43.170, a blanket school book-banning policy that took effect at the beginning of the school year.
The books in question — HMH Into Literature, an 8th-grade English textbook, and Crank, a novel by Ellen Hopkins — were challenged by Emily Clement of Fort Mill. The board opted to keep the textbook in classrooms, but restricted access to Crank to students whose parents sign an opt-in form.
Advocacy groups across the state have fought the state regulation, claiming that it will open the floodgates for mass book bans from politically motivated pro-censorship groups.
“Regulation 43-170 insults the students, parents, and educators of South Carolina,” Josh Malkin, advocacy director at the ACLU of South Carolina, said during the Dec. 2 press conference. “It assumes that our students cannot think critically. It assumes that our parents cannot make decisions for their own children without feeling the need to make decisions for all South Carolina youth. It assumes that our educators are not the caring, thoughtful experts that they are.”
Crank is a fictional, cautionary tale of a high school student whose life is derailed by drug addiction and a plummeting mental health. Hopkins, the novelist, spoke at the Dec. 2 press conference about messages she’s received from young readers.
“I’ve received over the years literally thousands of messages like that one in support of the book, telling me that the book turned them away from that path or gave insight into a loved one’s addiction or even encouraged them to become drug counselors or social workers,” she said. Many of those people found that book in their school libraries or classrooms.”
Tuesday’s vote follows the board’s earlier decision to remove seven books from public school libraries, including adult romance novels by Colleen Hoover and Sarah J. Maas. Other books still on the chopping block in schools include Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.
Vague regulation draws concern
Other opponents of the regulation say its vague language may lead to confusion and disorganization.
“What we’ve seen so far is chaos,” Paul Bowers, director of communications for ACLU-SC, told the Charleston City Paper in a September report. “We’re getting reports from teachers and librarians now who have come back to school and are mostly unclear about what is and is not allowed under the new law.”
The regulation went into effect June 25. Supporters say it aims to bring full uniformity related to the process of reporting concerns or complaints related to instructional materials that are not “age appropriate.”
Instruction materials subject to the regulation include textbooks, books on teachers’ shelves, film strips, podcasts, internet materials and more. All must now be catalogued and listed on a public school’s website by individual staff members. The database will then be accessible by parents and guardians, and complaints can be filed electronically. Materials will then be reviewed by the district school board.
But the uncertainty of what is “age-appropriate,” Bowers said, has led to school staff self-censoring their own classrooms out of fear of repercussions if the regulation is not followed properly.
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