Scholastic created a separate fair category for diverse books, which it says is to help schools navigate the complexities of book bans. Librarians accused the company of caving to censorship.
It’s fall, which means it’s Scholastic Book Fair season. Schools across the country are setting up shelves in their libraries and gymnasiums to let students shop a vast selection of books provided by the educational and publishing company. It’s a highlight for many students, and a nostalgic memory for many adults.
Backlash was swift. Scores of writers and educators on social media accused the company of helping to enable book restrictions, and argued that the company was not taking a strong enough stand against them.on Friday, but defended its decision. Enacted or pending legislation in more than 30 states prohibits certain kinds of books — mostly “LGBTQIA+ titles and books that engage with the presence of racism in our country” — from being in schools, the company said.
A Scholastic spokesperson told NPR that the company has been in touch with customers about the new policy since August. The Scholastic spokesperson says moving those titles to a specific group made space to include more diverse books in their other collections and that the change has been largely well-received by school districts.The movement to restrict books is “driven by a vocal minority demanding censorship,” says the free speech group PEN America, which said it found 3,362 cases of book bans in the 2022-’23 school year, up from 2,532 bans in the 2021-’22 school year.
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