School board restricts 9 books for first time under state regulation: ‘bittersweet’
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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 Beaufort County Board of Education voted Friday morning to restrict nine books in district classrooms — the first time the board has acted on book complaints under a South Carolina regulation instead of referring the challenges directly to the state board.
The move marks a turning point not just for Beaufort County but for schools across South Carolina, as many books challenged and banned at the state level originated from complaints by a single Beaufort County parent. The decision also followed a June 18 letter — obtained by The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette through a public records request — in which the state board asked the district to handle new book complaints internally rather than forwarding them immediately.
Under Regulation 43-170, school districts must publicly review and vote on any complaints about instructional materials, including classroom and library books, that contain descriptions or images of sexual conduct. Parents or legal guardians may submit up to five complaints per month if they have made a good-faith effort to resolve their concerns with school or district staff.
So far, at least 14 of the 22 books banned or restricted statewide this year were challenged by Elizabeth “Ivie” Szalai. Her influence has sparked debate over whether one individual should have the power to limit students’ access to books across the state. Szalai no longer has a student in the district; however, her earlier complaints continue to be reviewed because they were validly filed while her child was enrolled, and the state board has directed the local board to address them.
Before Friday’s vote, the Beaufort County Board maintained that books already reviewed — including the nine books now being restricted, which were reviewed before the regulation took effect and previously deemed acceptable in classrooms in 2023 — did not require another review and would be forwarded directly to the South Carolina Department of Education if challenged again.
A large group of community members, including students, parents and members of Families Against Book Bans, spoke out against restricting the books. Szalai was also present and read passages she deemed inappropriate.
The board ultimately chose to restrict the books rather than ban them, aiming to balance concerns about content with parental and student rights. With this vote, restricted books remain in school libraries, but students may access them only with parental consent.
The board voted 9-2, with members Ingrid Boatright and David Carr dissenting.
During the discussion, board member Chloe Gordon shared her personal experience, noting that books had helped her understand and protect herself.
“I was very fortunate that I wasn’t raped, but there were several times I could have been raped,” she said. “I was able to read a book and therefore arm myself so that I was not one of those girls, one of those statistics.”
She added, “I will tell you that seeing that [students] can read about this, given the right to do what they need to do — I can’t take that away from them. I can’t take that away from their parents. I don’t have the right to do that, and we don’t have the right to that as a board. We have the right to put the information out there and let it fall where it may, to help somebody’s child along the way.”
Her remarks received a standing ovation from the audience.
Board member Boatright also noted that while she understands the concerns prompting the regulation, the problem lies more with devices, social media and online content than with school library books.
Following the vote, Families Against Book Bans released a statement saying they were grateful to the community and board members who spoke against removing books but were disappointed the majority of the board did not follow community review committee recommendations from 2022.
“While these nine titles will remain on shelves, we also recognize that restricted access is a form of censorship,” the FABB press release said. It also said that lawmakers should amend Regulation 43-170 to include a fairer process.
Szalai said she was “shocked” by the outcome, given the board’s past stance.
“While I’m glad this outcome can be seen as a victory, it’s bittersweet, because it’s something that should have happened years ago and never should have reached this point,” she wrote in a text message.
She has not yet decided whether to accept the decision as final or appeal to the State Board, a choice she said depends on assurances from the district that the restrictions will not be reversed.
At the end of the six-hour meeting, the board also finalized the letter they plan to send to the state in response to its June 18 letter from the state. In it, they explained that the nine books would be placed in a restricted section, accessible only to students who provide a parental permission form to the librarian.
The board also noted that six other titles — “Shine” by Lauren Myracle, “Skin” by Donna Jo Napoli, “The Carnival at Bray” by Jessie Ann Foley, “Like a Love Story” by Abdi Nazemian, “The Infinite Moment of Us” by Lauren Myracle and “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen — had already been removed under a previous policy that pulls older or rarely checked-out books from circulation.
Books restricted in the district
- “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison — a classic literary novel about race, trauma and identity
- “Sold” by Patricia McCormick — a novel about human trafficking based on real accounts
- “The Freedom Writers Diary” by The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell — a nonfiction collection of student essays about overcoming adversity
- “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini — a bestselling novel about friendship and betrayl in Afghanistan
- “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold — a novel about the aftermath of sexual violence and grief
- “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher — a young adult novel that sparked national debate over mental health and suicide
- “The Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth Stein — a literary novel told through the eyes of a dog, touching on themes of family, loss and love
- “Tilt” by Ellen Hopkins — a novel in verse dealing with teen struggles around sexuality and relationships
- “The Duff” by Kody Keplinger — a teen romance about self-esteem and labels
This story was originally published August 22, 2025 at 4:11 PM.
