Local NAACP, ACLU Leaders Call for Transparency in Berkeley County Schools’ Book Review Process

Leaders from the Goose Creek Branch NAACP and American Liberties Union of South Carolina held a press conference before the September 18th Berkeley County School Board meeting to address the current attempt to ban 93 books in the school district.

Here’s a statement from the groups:

“District officials received all 93 Requests for Reconsideration of Instructional Material from one person in May 2023. However, the district not publicly acknowledge the existence of the attempted mass book banning or provide any clarity on the review process until September, after the ACLU-SC filed a public records request.

The list of challenged books in the Berkeley County School District includes contemporary classics such as Sarah Gruen’s Water for Elephants and Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, as well as 20th-century masterpieces like Richard Wright’s Native Son and Toni Morrison’s Beloved. This challenge comes during a wave of censorship led by activists employing similar tactics across the state and country.

The district policy governing book challenges is Policy KNBA-R, which requires the formation of 9-member material review committees for challenged books. The policy also states, “Challenged material will not be removed from general use during the reconsideration procedure.” Local educators, parents, and community members have been calling on the district to provide full transparency in this process.”

The full list of challenged books can be found here.

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