The conflict between school officials, librarians, and advocates for book censorship in public schools is unfolding nationwide, including in various school districts throughout South Carolina.
The CBS program “60 Minutes”, on March 3, highlighted the situation in Beaufort County, located in S.C.’s Lowcountry. Veteran journalist Scott Pelley reported that over 3,000 books were banned in schools nationwide, marking a significant increase from the previous year. In Beaufort County alone, 97 books were banned, with conservative group Moms for Liberty having an influential role in the process.
As initially disclosed by The Post and Courier in November 2022, the initiative in Beaufort County began with complaints about nearly 100 books filed by Mike Covert, a former County Council member from Bluffton, and Ivie Szalai, a Seabrook resident with a child in the Beaufort County School District.
According to The Post and Courier:
Szalai argued that these books contained passages unsuitable for children and teenagers.
“Although many of the books in question may offer valuable content to numerous students, it doesn’t negate the presence of explicit sexual material, including some borderline pornographic scenes,” Szalai expressed to the school board.
In late October, Superintendent Frank Rodriguez decided to remove the books from circulation pending evaluation by a library materials review committee.
Shortly after, parents attended a school board meeting to challenge this decision.
According to “60 Minutes,” Rodriguez removed the books due to concerns about potential violence following a series of threats and hateful messages.
Citing The Post and Courier:
Covert disclosed that he read all 97 books on his list within about six weeks and found little educational value in them.
“Some of the content was incredibly disturbing,” he noted.
Covert highlighted passages that, to him, demeaned women and celebrated acts of violence. He interpreted books like Jodi Picoult’s “Nineteen Minutes,” which delves into a school shooting, as instructional guides.
Pete Cooper and the other members of the Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization at Beaufort High School speak at a conference on the rise of censorship held in Columbia in February 2023.
To counter the book removal, a group of students from Beaufort County public schools united. These students were part of the Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization, which was previously covered by The Post and Courier. The initiative started as an after-school club at Beaufort High in 2020.