4 books facing statewide ban in South Carolina schools

A recently established book-banning committee will consider removing four books from all South Carolina public school classroom and library collections.

WHAT: Instructional Materials Review Committee meeting

WHEN: Thursday, November 21, at 1 p.m. Eastern

WHERE: Virtual meeting on WebEx, available to watch as a live video stream via the S.C. Department of Education website

The committee will hear testimony about the following books:

• HMH Into Literature 8th Grade
• Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes
• The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
• Crank by Ellen Hopkins

The Instructional Materials Review Committee (IMRC) will make recommendations for the full State Board of Education to vote on at its next meeting on December 3.

The first three titles are being challenged by one person. Under State Superintendent Ellen Weaver’s new policy, Regulation 43-170, a parent or guardian can ask state officials to ban up to five books per calendar month for the entire state, provided they make a good faith effort to address their concerns with local school staff. The submitted complaint forms are available on the IMRC website.

Crank, on the other hand, is up for review after an unnamed member of Superintendent Weaver’s staff recommended banning it in October. After hearing testimony about the book’s importance for teens dealing with substance abuse and sexual violence, the committee voted to postpone taking action until November 21.

Ellen Hopkins, author of Crank, has submitted a written statement about the proposed banning of her book from K-12 schools. It is available below. It reads in part:

“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.”

Previously, on October 31, the Instructional Materials Review Committee recommended banning the following books, which the full State Board of Education then voted to ban on Election Day:

• Damsel by Elana K. Arnold
• Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
• 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
• Normal People by Sally Rooney

Arnold wrote a piece reflecting on the banning of her book Damsel, which is available to read on the ACLU-SC blog. A video recording of the October 31 book ban hearing is available here.