South Carolina Board of Education votes to ban 10 more books from schools
SOUTH CAROLINA (WSAV) – South Carolina is now leading the nation in a new category, banned books.
The South Carolina Board of Education voted to take 10 more books off school library shelves on Tuesday. That brings the total to 22 different titles banned from schools.
The books were all challenged by a Beaufort County woman for their inappropriate or sexual content.
The State Board of Education's Instructional Materials Review Committee (IMRC) recommended banning Regulation 43-170, which deems any book containing a description of 'sexual conduct' age-inappropriate for all students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
This vote was delayed by a month after Board members expressed concerns about the wording of the regulation which allowed them to ban books statewide.
The 10 books were officially removed from public school libraries and classroom collections in the state include:
'Collateral' by Ellen Hopkins
'Empire of Storms' by Sarah J. Maas
'Half of a Yellow Sun' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
'Hopeless' by Colleen Hoover
'Identical' by Ellen Hopkins
'Kingdom of Ash' by Sarah J. Maas
'Last Night at the Telegraph Club' by Malinda Lo
'Living Dead Girl' by Elizabeth Scott
'Lucky' by Alice Sebold
'Tricks' by Ellen Hopkins
There was no discussion during the meeting about the titles. Two State Schoolboard members, David O'Shields and the Rev. Tony Vincent did not vote to ban the books.
'The state is continuing to leave educational decisions for all students up to one parent,' said Josh Malkin, Advocacy Director for the ACLU of South Carolina. 'This is problematic and counter to the foundational democratic ideals of public education.'
The board previously voted to remove or restrict access to the following titles:
'Damsel' by Elana Arnold
'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' by Stephen Chbosky
'Flamer' by Mike Curato
'Ugly Love' by Colleen Hoover
'All Boys Aren't Blue' by George M. Johnson
'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
'Push' by Sapphire
Ellen Hopkins' novel 'Crank' is now under restricted access. It is still in high school libraries, but a parent or guardian must fill out an opt-in form for a student to borrow it.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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