Some South Carolina teachers feel censored after more books are banned from schools
FORT MILL, S.C. — The South Carolina Board of Education voted Tuesday to ban four books from all state schools. This decision has shocked some students and parents.
The latest ban means students will no longer have access to “Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky, “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson, “Flamer” by Mike Curato, or “Push” by Sapphire inside any school libraries across the state. The Department of Education sent WCCB a statement that said this ban “provides certainty for educators, respects families, and protects students from materials that are not age or developmentally appropriate.
Each of the four books fall under young adult literature. The four books all include a degree of sexual or LGBTQ+ content. Notably, “Perks of Being a Wallflower” was remade into a PG-13 rated movie in 2012. Sydney Wottle, a high school senior in Fort Mill, was familiar with the movie and felt it was a relatable coming-of-age story though Wottle had not read the book.
Wottle feels students deserve some degree of input when it comes to the banning of books from schools. “I just wouldn’t want any books to get banned… I think they’re, like, informational,” Wottle said.
The four books bring the total number of bans voted on by the Board of Education to 11. 18 different books have been reviewed by the Board thus far, and includes “Romeo & Juliet” by William Shakespeare, “1984” by George Orwell, and “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. All three of those titles were voted to be retained in schools. A full list of the books reviewed for ban can be found at ed.sc.gov. One book on the list titled “Crank” by Ellen Hopkins was retained under the condition that it only be available to students with parental consent.
The Department of Education says the book ban process is possible through Regulation 43-170 which was prepared by the agency in 2024. Department staff shared this flowchart with WCCB. The chart details that all book bans start with a complaint from parents to school district leaders. School leaders then have 90 days to decide to ban or keep the book. After this decision is made, the parent can submit an appeal which will take the book in front of the Board of Education who will then have the power to fully ban the book from all state schools.
The Department of Education argues that banning books does not restrict free speech or discriminate against an authors viewpoints.
The President of the South Carolina Education Association, Sherry East, added that appeals are limited to just five per month. East said she knows of at least one parent in the low-state who currently wants 93 different books banned.
“it’s definitely on its way to that,” East said as she believes many more book bans are coming. East has heard from teachers in the state who are frustrated by the decisions. “We have a lot of librarians that are under a lot of angst. They’re being attacked,” East said. “We’ve seen a couple teachers quit their job over this.”
East detailed the language used in the regulation and feels it does not take much for a book to end up on the ban list. “Any mention of body parts, any mention of sexual acts, any mention of nudity. It’s a really strict way that it’s written.
Josephine Austrie, a Fort Mill grandparent understands the books bans. Austrie feels some content is too mature for younger readers and she hopes more literature will be reviewed. “That’s something to be taught at home if your parents want to discuss that with you. But, I don’t think that that’s appropriate,” Austrie said.
A full statement from the SCDE can be found below:
“This regulation ensures that instructional materials are age or developmentally appropriate by providing a clear, transparent, and uniform process that provides certainty for educators, respects families, and protects students from materials that are not age or developmentally appropriate. It doesn’t restrict free speech, discriminate based on an author’s viewpoint or eliminate local control.”
