By Skyler Baldwin | One Berkeley County parent is challenging 93 books on the county’s school shelves on allegations of obscenity. But for now, the books are available.
Several Berkeley County School Districts (BCSD) officials didn’t return requests for comment and more information about 93 separate challenges made in May by the parent, whose identity couldn’t be independently verified.
But district spokeswoman Katie Tanner today said: “BCSD policy KNBA outlines the process for a parent/legal guardian to request the reconsideration of instructional materials. This policy is not new and is not unique to Berkeley County. … At this time, no reviews have been conducted and no books have been removed as a result of this process.”
Across the state, politically motivated censorship seems to be on the rise. Horry County Schools banned 12 books this year, according to news reports. The Greenville County Library considered banning 24 books and faced allegations related to LGBTQ+ censorship. Recently, state Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver cut ties with the S.C. Association of School Librarians, citing concerns that the group had created a “hostile environment” in its opposition to removing books from school shelves.
The issue in Berkeley County arose Thursday when the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina (ACLU) released the results of a public records request that revealed a list of the 93 books targeted for censorship in BCSD classrooms and libraries.
“Book banning is an unconstitutional infringement on the First Amendment guarantee of access to information,” ACLU Executive Director Jace Wooodrum said in a statement. “Censorship remains deeply unpopular across the state and across the political spectrum, and we hope that the district will listen to parents, teachers, students and librarians who support the freedom to read.”
The challenged books in BCSD include several titles right-wing activist groups like Moms For Liberty have targeted in other parts of the state, including The Kite Runner, which was targeted for censorship last year in Beaufort County Schools, and Gabi: A Girl in Pieces, which was previously challenged in Horry County.
All of the challenged books are listed on BookLooks, a site commonly used by political interest groups. They were also challenged by a single individual, who reportedly is a parent of a student enrolled in BCSD. The parent filed 93 individual challenges, one for each book, on May 27.
“If someone is able to see all the books available in a school district, they can cross reference those books against BookLooks,” said ACLU spokesman Paul Bowers. “If they come across something deemed worthy of banning, they have a ready-made list of complaints they can bring to the school board. It’s basically a cheat sheet for banning books.”
Skyler Baldwin is a reporter with the Charleston City Paper.
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