S.C. Board of Education removes four books from K-12 classrooms

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – The South Carolina Board of Education voted on Tuesday to remove four books from school libraries across the state.

Within the past four months, 11 books have been removed from K-12 classrooms across South Carolina.

Only two people on the Board of Education voted against removing any of the four books discussed at Tuesday’s meeting.

The books on the chopping block include: “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky, “All Boys aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson, “Flamer” by Mike Curato, and “Push” by Sapphire.

Some people said these works contain material that is inappropriate for students.

“I think as we look at these, we need to be very careful because I feel as though one person is exerting incredible influence over us,” said board member, David O’Shields.

Jessica Spearman Childs spoke about her experience as a counselor, how removing “Push” would affect students she works with.

“Every time we remove a book, we send a very clear message that survivors should be invisible,” Childs said.

Student Elliot Nadow spoke about how “All Boys aren’t Blue” changed their life.

“You are telling every black student, queer student, every student that has ever been insulted, every student that has felt anything doesn’t belong here,” Nadow said.

Board Member, Cheryl Abrams Collier said it’s important to understand that not all books are appropriate for different ages, which is why there needs to be a distinction.

“We are not making overall judgments of the value of the book, the writer, any person’s walk of life or experiences, we are not trying to say people shouldn’t read the material,” Collier said. “We are being given one clear question; does it violate regulation.”

Collier made it clear that the books will still be available in public libraries for anyone who chooses to read them.

The South Carolina Education Board said these books will be removed from classrooms, effective immediately.