South Carolina removes 4 more books from school classrooms for content violations

South Carolina K-12 classrooms will no longer feature four books after a review committee decided they violated regulations prohibiting sexual content, the state’s education board ruled Tuesday.

“We are not making overall judgments of the value of the book, the writer, any person’s walk of life or experiences,” said board member Cheryl Abrams Collier, quoted by news outlet WSPA.

“We are not trying to say people shouldn’t read the material. We are being given one clear question – does it violate regulation?” 

Collier also pointed out the books to be removed are still available in public libraries. 

They are Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Sapphire’s Push, George M. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue, and Mike Curato’s Flamer. 

‘Viewpoint neutral decisions’ 

The board made its decision after hearing a presentation from Robert Cathcart, policy and legal advisor at the state’s education department. 

“These are viewpoint neutral decisions,” Cathcart said, quoted in a WIS News 10 article. 

“It’s not if you agree or disagree with the content presented. It’s a simple, ‘Yes, does it contain descriptions of sexual content.’ If it contains those descriptions, then it violates the regulation.” 

The Instructional Materials Review Committee (IMRC) recommended each of the books be removed after reviewing complaints submitted by citizens. 

The board posted a link to the “instructional materials under review” on its website, including complaint and appeal forms. 

“These are not the first books to be challenged by South Carolinians or removed by the State Board of Education,” the WIS News 10 article notes, citing the names of seven other books removed in 2024. 

Two other books receiving complaints – Nikki Grimes’ Bronx Masquerade and Sandra Cisneros’ House on Mango Street – were allowed to remain in school libraries. 

“Three classics had also been brought before IMRC due to potentially objectionable or challenging material: 1984 by George Orwell, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare,” explains WIS News 10. “The classics were allowed to stay on school shelves.”