Berkeley Co. School District begins reviewing 93 challenged books

Recently, the Berkeley County School District began reviewing 93 books that were challenged for removal from the district’s libraries. The first 10 books were reviewed by a newly established committee on Tues., Oct. 3, the day after the school board was updated on the challenges and the review process.  

 

Berkeley County School District’s legal counsel Brandon Gaskins told the board at their Oct. 2 meeting that due to the high volume of books in need of review, the district’s KNBA policy will be modified to alleviate the burden of the review process.

 

The modification extends the review process from one committee and its usual 30-day review process to multiple committees meeting virtually throughout the rest of the school year. Another change from the written policy is to live stream the committee meetings via Zoom.

 

Starting Tues., Oct. 3, 10 committees consisting of librarians, staff, and parents began reviewing 10 of the 93 books that were challenged by Berkeley County parent Angelina Davenport.

 

Gaskins acknowledged the challenge posed by this situation: “The truth is that this policy is not designed to handle 90-plus book challenges. As I think all reasonable people will concede, having a committee review approximately 90 books within 30 days is impossible.”

 

Some school board and community members voiced their concerns about deviating from the policy for multiple reasons. Former Berkeley County educator Cindy Fisk questioned the impracticality of reading 10 books within a short time frame. She told the board during the public participation portion of the meeting, “I have a committee member that received the books on Sept. 15. There’s no way she could read eight hours a day to get it done in 15 days - there’s no way.”

 

Gaskins said the district decided to livestream the committee meetings to ensure transparency and comply with state open record laws. Some speakers told the board that they were worried about the safety and privacy of district employees and parents who will be sharing their opinions publicly and on camera during these livestreamed meetings.

 

Board member David Barrow stated his opposition against modifying the KNBA policy, which has been in place for 27 years. Berkeley County parent and teacher, Mahwish McIntosh, also expressed concerns about the interpretation of the policy and the handling of the review process.

 

“Not only do they not have the time allotted to read thousands of pages in the given timeframe, but I’m also hearing from friends who are serving on these committees as professionals, and how they are concerned about how the policy is being interpreted and how the process is being handled,” McIntosh said. 

 

Gaskins defended the formation of the committees, “We have tried to comply with the policy and maintain a fair and open process. I understand that not everyone is enamored with the policy, and they have that right.”

 

The first committee gathered virtually the following day, Oct. 3, to review the first batch of 10 challenged books, including titles like “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, “Looking for Alaska” by John Green, and “Sold” by Patricia McCormick.

 

Davenport, the parent who originally challenged the 93 books, attended the committee meeting. She raised objections concerning the language, sexually explicit content, and depictions of alcohol and drug abuse within the books. She argued that these elements had no place in a school setting. She said, “This is a moral issue. We are a community of morals and standards, and this does not belong anywhere near children.”

 

Committee members urged Davenport to consider the context and valuable life lessons in the books, but Davenport continued to question the school district’s professional judgment and the content allowed in school libraries.

 

Joshua Malkin, a member of the ACLU who attended both the school board and the committee meeting, said that one person’s beliefs should not affect the entire district. 

 

“The fact that this woman claims to have read 93 books and believes that her opinions and her beliefs…should dictate what’s available to every single student in Berkeley County School District is worrisome to me, and I think treads on our students’ First Amendment right to access information,” Malkin said at the committee meeting.

 

By the end of the committee meeting, each member voted on whether the challenged materials should remain in circulation, be restricted to certain grade levels, or be removed from all district libraries. 

 

The results varied: committee members voted to keep four books distinct-wide and three only in high schools. Committee recommendations submitted to the Superintendent were not available prior to the paper going to print. We will post the recommendations on our website when they become available.

 

The fate of these books now rests with Superintendent Dr. Dixon, who will either accept or reject the committee’s recommendations and present a comprehensive report to the board and chief academic and innovation officer within the next 30 days. 

 

If Dr. Dixon’s decision is appealed, the school board will make the final determination.

 

The next committee meeting will review the next set of 10 books on Oct. 26. 

 

To attend a book review committee meeting or learn more about the committees, visit bit.ly/46J1Bjk.