Here’s what happens next to the 97 books removed from Beaufort Co. school libraries for review
A material reconsideration committee will determine whether classics such as “The Handsmaid’s Tale” and lesser-known books such as “Foul is Fair” will remain off the shelves in Beaufort County schools after 97 titles were pulled recently.
The committee will be appointed by the superintendent, and members will read each of the titles in full and meet as a group to share and discuss their findings, according to district policy.
This is the first time the district is going through the review process since it was set up in 2021, according to spokesperson Candace Bruder.
The books are being placed in “a secure location at the district office,” according to Bruder.
She said if teachers are using one of the titles for instruction, they’ll be asked to stop until the review process is completed.
School administrators removed the titles starting last Friday based off a list concerned parents provided the Board of Education and after a parent read a sex scene from one of the books at an Oct. 18 board meeting.
The district bypassed the first part of the multi-step procedure for challenged materials, which is for someone to submit a “Request for Reconsideration of School Materials Form.” Any student, guardian, administrator or person in a district school zone can submit such a form.
The process was created to “conserve limited staff resources, discourage the monopolization of the challenge process by a few individuals, and require complainants to submit complete, substantive and fully researched challenge requests,” according to the district manual.
But in this case, no forms for any of the titles were submitted, despite the board asking parents to complete the form to initiate the process.
“This is different,” parent Joseph Castagnino said when asked why he didn’t complete the form. “These are books that are clearly labeled adult-only material and therefore that does not apply.”
It is within the district’s right to pull titles without a formal complaint, according to Bruder.
“As a district, we have the right to pull materials at any time when concerns are brought to our attention,” Bruder said this week. “Typically during the review process, the materials are temporarily removed until the process is complete.”
The next step of the process, and where the district is now, is for the superintendent to appoint a Materials Reconsideration Committee. It can be made up of any odd number of individuals with at least one:
- Teacher with expertise in the content area and grade level
- School librarian
- School administrator
- Parent representing a school family other than the complainant
- District-level director or coordinator with expertise in the content area
- Member of a School Improvement Council within the district/school
The superintendent can also appoint anyone else they believe is necessary.
According to the manual, the committee will have 15 days from the time of the complaint to complete its review. However, since this a more expansive review, the process will take longer and there isn’t an estimated timeline yet, Bruder said.
“The value of any material must be examined as a whole. The impact of an entire work will be considered, transcending individual words, phrases, and incidents,” according to the district manual.
More information about the review process and how the district purchases library books will be released at the next school board meeting Nov. 1, said Bruder.
This story was originally published October 26, 2022 at 4:54 PM.
