Culture wars: Elementary schools can now limit book fair titles, Scholastic says

Across the nation, politicians are implementing laws varying state-by-state that aim to restrict the discussion of “sensitive topics” through book banning. Most recently, a new law in Texas is requiring booksellers to rate books based on their depictions of or references to sex, The Texas Tribune reports. Texas schools would be prohibited from buying titles from vendors that don’t use such ratings. It’s a movement that’s been growing in scale since the pandemic. Now, a leading book publisher is giving elementary schools the option to exclude “controversial” books as a result of this nationwide dilemma.

For decades, Scholastic has been providing schools the ability to host book fairs on school property with ease. Now, the publisher is giving educators even more freedom to get kids on board with reading by giving schools a list of “optional” book titles that they can refrain from selling at book fairs.

Last month, users on the popular social media site Reddit noticed that the publisher had set aside a standalone category of books for their “Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice” book fair collection.

“I just saw that Scholastic Book Fairs put all of their ‘diverse’ books into a single book fair case and have given school libraries the option to exclude those books from a school’s book fair,” the Reddit post reads.

Scholastic issued a statement on Friday defending its decision to allow schools to comply with state regulations while acknowledging that it’s an imperfect solution.

“The biggest misconception is that Scholastic Book Fairs is putting all diverse titles into one optional case,” the publisher said in the statement. “This is not true, in any school, in any location we serve.”

According to Scholastic, there is either enacted or pending legislation in more than 30 states across the country that prohibit certain book titles in schools, most of which include LGBTQIA+ narratives and topics that touch on racism in the U.S. As a result, they write that an impossible dilemma faces public schools: “Back away from these titles or risk making teachers, librarians, and volunteers vulnerable to begin fired, sued, or prosecuted,” the statement reads.

“We don’t pretend this solution is perfect, but the other option would be to not offer these books at all, which is not something we’d consider.”

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PEN America, an anti-censorship organization that has been tracking book bans across the country, said in a statement that publishers have a dual obligation to fight against the book ban movement and make books as accessible for students as possible.

“To be clear, it is essential to lay blame on the legislators and activists who are putting Scholastic and other publishers in an impossible bind when it comes to the distribution of a diverse range of books,” PEN America said. “The climate of fear taking hold in our schools and libraries has come on fast, posing difficult challenges to traditional policies and practices in the education sector.”

How books bans are impacting schools

As both Scholastic and PEN America pointed out, the book ban movement is keeping millions of students from accessing books that are relevant to their own personal stories. In Iowa, for instance, a new law was approved this year by Gov. Kim Reynolds and the state’s Republican-led legislature that has resulted in the scrapping of hundreds of books from school libraries throughout the state, the Des Moines Register reports.

In Minnesota, attendance in board meetings is growing amid concerns over controversial book titles, according to the Pioneer Express. One question continues to be repeated: Which books should the district allow?

“The issue in front of the board is about sexually explicit and age-appropriate content that is available without restrictions in our schools,” one Bloomington Public Schools resident told the board.

“Removing controversial books could set the district up for a lawsuit,” another resident said in response. “It would be a huge disservice to our kids.”

In Georgia’s Marietta City Schools, a superintendent is asking parents for “grace and understanding” as they begin reviewing 20,000 challenged books as they continue plans to make the district’s media center collection appropriate for school children, 11Alive reports. Dr. Grant Rivera told board members and community members last month that he’s seeking input from school leaders so he can lead not only as a superintendent but as a parent.

“I don’t ever shed that perspective and responsibility as I serve,” he said. “I acknowledge the policy that exists and I acknowledge an opportunity to do better.”

The board has since passed a directive that outlines the steps they’d like to see moving forward in the book review process. One board member said they want to clearly define what books are deemed “sexually explicit.”

“This was not intended to be a book ban,” board chairwoman Kerry Minervini said, according to 11Alive. “This was intended to start discussions amongst the Board of Education, the district, Dr. Rivera and our community stakeholders about what we want this process to look like going forward.”