South Carolina became the nation’s leader for the most books banned in public schools Tuesday. Over half of the books now banned in the state have come from one Beaufort County parent.
The South Carolina Board of Education voted to remove 10 more books after tabling the discussion last month to clarify the review process. The state now has 22 books banned from all public school classrooms and libraries, beating Utah as the former nation’s leader in book bans, according to PEN America , a nonprofit organization advocating for freedom of expression. At least 14 of the books banned have come from Beaufort County parent Elizabeth “Ivie” Szalai, sparking controversy over whether one individual should have the power to influence reading access for all public school students.
Szalai, who previously sought to remove 97 books at the district level, has argued that while these books explore important themes, they contain explicit sexual descriptions inappropriate for K-12 students…