Appeal filed over book about racism taken out of Beaufort County schools. What’s next?
The Beaufort County school board will have the final say on whether the young adult version of “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You” will stay on school library shelves.
On Monday, original complainant Mike Covert submitted an appeal to the review committee’s decision to return “Stamped” to grades 6-12, but not grades K-5. He said he wants the book out of schools completely.
So far, review committees voted on six of the 97 books removed from schools and returned them all in some capacity. Only the two original complainants can appeal decisions, and they appealed all six. Another 10 books are slated for committee review in January.
Now, the board will examine the book review committees’ reports and vote on whether those decisions will stand. A majority vote is needed for a decision on each book. Board members won’t be required to read the appealed books before they vote, and some said they won’t ago against what committees’ voted.
The school board has 15 business days — until Jan. 24 — counted by the school calendar to make a decision on “Stamped.” The other five books must be decided by Jan. 19.
“Stamped,” by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, was the only title on the list flagged for something other than inappropriate sexual content. It is a frequent target of those trying to keep critical race theory out of the classroom.
All that was needed to appeal was “something in writing” to the district, like an email, according to district spokesperson Candace Bruder.
Covert emailed a 19-page appeal. It also included “The Lovely Bones,” which was already appealed by the other complainant, Ivie Szalai.
In his argument about why the books shouldn’t be allowed in schools, Covert cited the Constitution, book reviews, Supreme Court cases, political scientists and politicians. However, he wrote that his appeal isn’t political.
“I also find it imperative to make perfectly clear — my concern in this issue, and my appeal(s) have absolutely nothing to do with politics in any form,” he writes. “There are those bad actors out there that either have tried to make it or will try to make it political. I have not and will not do so.”
He included a list of over 60 terms and phrases that he believes shouldn’t be allowed in public schools if they point to CRT, such as “unconscious bias,” “diversity, equity and inclusion,” “anti-racism” and “racial justice.”
“Those words and phrases are typically used when masquerading as something different,” Covert said. “Those words or phrases are typically housed in other, true, meanings.”
Under state General Appropriations Bill Proviso 1.93, certain race-related instruction can’t be taught in schools, such as “an individual, by virtue of his race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.”
“Stamped” bills itself as an “exploration of racism — and anti-racism — in America” and has won multiple awards including the 2016 National Book Award for Nonfiction.
Parent Shelisa Benson was on the “Stamped” review committee and previously told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette that the book is important because it offers a perspective that isn’t historically taught in schools.
“Why I think it’s important for my kids, as an African American, to read this book is because it’s parts of history that we’ve all learned in school, but the viewpoint of what we learned in school is picked by those same people,” Benson said. “Therefore, what is published in our schools can only take you so far as far as textbooks go. This just opens up a whole new discussion.”
This story was originally published December 27, 2022 at 11:22 AM.
