More books banned for all of SC after Beaufort Co. complaint gets statewide scrutiny
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South Carolina Book Bans
The state now has 22 books banned from all public school classrooms and libraries, becoming the nation’s leader in book bans.
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The decision is simple, according to state Board of Education member Christian Hanley: If a book contains sexually explicit content, it’s out.
“When there’s sexual material in the book as defined by state statute, that’s it,” Hanley said. “We’re finished with our review.”
The South Carolina Board of Education voted to remove four books from every public school in the state Tuesday afternoon, marking a significant victory for Beaufort County resident Elizabeth “Ivie” Szalai. Known for her previous efforts to ban 97 books at the district level, Szalai appealed to the state board to remove four books she deemed inappropriate. In early January, the state’s Instructional Materials Review Committee recommended banning four of them, leading to the full board’s approval and highlighting the first time a Beaufort County resident has successfully achieved a book ban at the state level.
Beaufort County’s school district will begin notifying appropriate school personnel about the decision and will start removing the books to a secure location this week, district spokesperson Candace Bruder said.
Books removed
The four books removed are listed below:
“Perks of Being a Wallflower,” a young adult novel by Stephen Chbosky that explores the complexities of adolescence through the eyes of an introverted high school student
“All Boys Aren’t Blue,” a memoir by George M. Johnson that details the author’s experiences growing up as a queer Black boy
“Flamer,” a graphic novel by Mike Curato that follows a bullied student navigating the identity challenges at a summer camp
“Push,” a novel by Sapphire that tells the story of a young girl overcoming severe abuse and adversity
For all four books except “Push,” all but two board members voted for removal. Only one board member opposed removing “Push.”
The total books not allowed on school shelves has risen to 11. The following books were banned prior to Tuesday’s meeting:
- “Normal People” by Sally Rooney
“Damsel” by Elana Arnold
“Ugly Love” by Colleen Hoover
- “A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas
“A Court of Mist and Fury” by Sarah J. Maas
“A Court of Wings and Ruin” by Sarah J. Maas
“A Court of Frost and Starlight” by Sarah J. Maas
Books retained
The board voted to retain “House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros and “Bronx Masquerade” by Nikki Grimes.
Board member’s reactions
The board followed guidelines set forth under Regulation 43-170, which allows the banning of books in all South Carolina public schools if the material contains any descriptions or visual descriptions of sexual conduct. However, not all board members at the meeting agreed with the decision to remove the books.
Board member Beverly Frierson opposed the ban, arguing that a single complaint should not determine a book’s removal statewide.
“There is really vagueness in terms of sexually appropriate or sexual content, as opposed to pornography,” she added. “I think there is disservice to many of our students who may find themselves in a position of being unaccepted and disrespected.”
Board member Cheryl Collier disagreed, saying it is the board’s responsibility to determine if a book violates state regulations — no matter if it is from one, two, 10 or 100,000 parents.
“Now there may be books that I personally don’t have a problem with, but if I can answer the question, ‘yes, the regulation is being violated,’ then I have to vote to remove the book,” she said. “If I, if I can, in good conscience, say ‘no’, then my responsibility is to vote to retain the book.”
How did we get here?
In 2022, Szalai submitted a list of 97 books to the Beaufort County School District, citing inappropriate and pornographic content. The four books removed in Tuesday’s vote were included in that original list. Ultimately, only five books were banned by the district.
“My district conducted book reviews, but these committees were heavily biased, putting all but five books back on the shelf,” Szalai said at the Jan. 9 state Instructional Materials Review Committee. “I’d like to point out that a large majority of the reviewers were educators, and they thought this material was OK. The supporters of these books will tell you that Beaufort doesn’t support removing them, but how can they profess this when the committees were so biased?”
In 2024, Szalai was cited in two pending defamation lawsuits, where two teachers alleged they were falsely labeled as “groomers” on social media and podcasts. The harassment occurred after the movement to ban books in Beaufort County schools, which garnered national media attention including from CBS News’ 60 Minutes. Many of the defendants in the lawsuit supported the book ban.
That same year, Szalai reissued challenges to several of the books with Beaufort’s local board under Regulation 43-170. Since, the local board decided not to act on these challenges within the 90-day period, it was left to the state board for consideration.
The district sent a letter to the state board stating they did not see the need to reevaluate the challenged books after the passage of Regulation 43-170, according to board member Hanley. At the Tuesday meeting, Hanley said he is working with department staff to develop a plan and timeline to see which of those materials should be reviewed.
Szalai did not respond to requests for comment.
This story was originally published February 5, 2025 at 8:36 AM.
