Greenville County Schools to 'pause' book fairs after new rules mandated in South Carolina

Greenville County Schools will not hold book fairs this school year, citing a new state regulation mandating books that are not “age and developmentally appropriate” be removed from classrooms and school libraries.

The “pause” will allow district officials to work with schools and book fair vendors to “explore ways to continue offering book fairs in the future,” according to district officials.

“The logistics of book fairs involve large containers of books and other material being delivered to schools, set out, packed up, picked up, restocked, and sent to the next school on a short turnaround time,” said Greenville County Schools spokesperson Tim Waller in an emailed statement. “It is not possible for school personnel to vet all book fair content after it arrives, nor can vendors provide accurate content information far enough in advance for it to be vetted through the district prior to the start of fall book fairs.

Book fairs, generally Scholastic Book Fairs or from downtown Greenville’s independent bookstore M. Judson Booksellers, are a popular fundraising method that also helps encourage students to read. The district said it “recognizes the value in school-sponsored book fairs as a way to promote reading with students while also engaging parents and the community in support of literacy.”

Waller said the district’s academics team is working with schools and book fair vendors to explore ways to offer book fairs in the future.

"During the time needed to ensure full compliance with the new regulation, there are alternatives, such as book clubs and online book fairs, for schools to consider. We will share more information once we have evaluated those other options for this year,” Waller said.

In June, the South Carolina Board of Education passed a regulation banning books “for any age or age group of children if it includes descriptions or visual depictions of ‘sexual conduct.’”

South Carolina Department of Education spokesman Jason Raven said the department “commends the district on its vigilance,” in response to the pause on book fairs in the state’s largest school district.

“The SCDE will offer its support for finding vendors that can give schools and families peace of mind that they are providing age-appropriate materials to our students.”

The regulation, which also mandates district school board trustees as “ultimately responsible for the selection or continued use of all instructional materials,” comes after an increase in book bans or challenges. The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom found book challenges increased to the highest levels ever documented by the association.

More: Greenville Library Committee votes to remove books with transgender themes from YA section

But the state’s board of education argues the regulation is not a ban.

“A book ban is when the government seeks to prevent you from buying, selling, owning, or reading a book. This regulation doesn’t do that,” South Carolina’s Department of Education argues in the review regulation executive summary . “Students are still free to buy, own, and read any book that they or their parents choose, and there’s no penalty to discourage them from doing so. Rather, this regulation deals with government employees acting in their government roles to select and buy materials using government funds that will be owned by the government, kept in government buildings, and used by government officials to administer a government program.”

The department said the regulations emerged as “parents, educators, administrators, and communities are grappling with questions and concerns about the selections and use of age-appropriate, educationally suitable materials.”

South Carolina’s chapter of the ACLU called the regulation “overbroad” and argued it would “lead to a surge of book-banning attempts by groups that oppose academic freedom.”

“South Carolinians are less free today than they were yesterday. By crafting and promoting a broad new book-banning policy, Superintendent Ellen Weaver has handed a blunt instrument to her ideological allies in the pro-censorship lobby. We still believe in academic freedom and will fight tooth and nail alongside teachers, librarians, students, and parents against the ongoing campaign of harassment and intimidation in public schools and libraries,” Jace Woodrum, executive director of ACLU South Carolina, said in a statement when the measure passed in June.

Savannah Moss covers politics for the Greenville News. Reach her at smoss@gannett.com or follow her on X @Savmoss.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Greenville County Schools to 'pause' book fairs after new rules mandated in South Carolina