Action Alert: Statewide book ban regulation
The State Board of Education is considering a rule that states, “Instruction material is not 'age and developmentally appropriate' for any age or age group of children if it includes descriptions or visual depictions of 'sexual conduct.'”All educational content regarding sexual conduct could be banned under this rule.
What follows is information from the SC League of Women Voters’ Action Alert, released January 18, 2024.
The asks
By January 22, 5 pm, submit written comments to the entire SC Board of Education to Lisa Widener, Assistant Director of Governmental Affairs, 1429 Senate Street, Columbia, SC 29201 or by email to sclreg@ed.sc.gov.
By February 12, phone or email your representative(s) on the SC Board of Education.
Talking points
Ask the SC State Board of Education to revise its draft regulation to:
Permit older students access to age-appropriate sexual content for instruction in human biology, sex education, psychology, and literature.
Allow parents to exclude their own children from content that offends them without denying access for other people’s children.
Require people who challenge personally offensive materials to make a good-faith effort to resolve the problem via discussion with school staff before filing a formal complaint.
More information
Additional suggestions for revisions to R 43-170:
The revisions should include a process to prohibit a single individual from bringing an unreasonable number of challenges, as has happened in some South Carolina school districts. The regulation should limit the number of challenges to instructional materials that can be brought by a single individual and require that the person making the challenge attest to having read the objectionable material in its entirety.
The revised regulation should include a process that requires anyone bringing a challenge make a good faith effort to resolve the problem by contacting school personnel before filing a formal complaint.
Section16-15 of the SC Code of Laws (scroll down to section 305)
SC Board of Education
Dr. David O’Shields - Chair: 8th Circuit (Abbeville, Greenwood, Laurens, Newberry) Phone: 864-938-2065
Email: davidoshields@lcsd56g.com
Honorable Rita Allison - Chair-elect: Governor’s Appointee
Phone: 864-909-1092
Email: rnrallison@charter.net
Maya Slaughter - 1st Circuit (Calhoun, Dorchester, Orangeburg)
Phone: 803-290-4507
Chrystal “Crissie” Stapleton – 2nd Circuit (Aiken, Bamberg, Barnwell)
Phone: 803-541-1300
Email: cstapleton@bsd45.net
Delaney Frierson – 3rd Circuit (lee, Sumter, Williamsburg)
Phone: 803-316-0952
Email: delaneykay@yahoo.com
Jacqueline “Jackie” Lynn – 4th Circuit(Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Marlboro)
Email: jacqueline.lynn@darlington.k12.sc.us
Beverly Frierson – 5th Circuit (Kershaw, Richland)
Phone: 803-422-0070
Joyce Crimminger 6th Circuit (Chester, Fairfield, Lancaster)
Phone: 803-288-3454
Email: crimmingerj@gmail.com
Dr. Joette C. Johnson – 7th Circuit (Spartanburg, Cherokee)
Phone: 864-490-6166
Email: joettecjohnson@gmail.com
Christian T. Hanley, Jr. – 9th Circuit (Berkeley, Charleston)
Phone: 301-580-9154
Email: dr_hanley@yahoo.co
Sallie R. Lee – 10th Circuit (Anderson, Oconee)
Phone: 864-386-2659
Email: sallierlee@gmail.com
Tammie Shore – 11th Circuit (Edgefield, Lexington, McCormick, Saluda)
Phone: 864-980-3049
Email: tshore@saludaschools.org
Richard Harrington – 12th Circuit (Florence, Marion)
Phone: 843-260-6846
Email: richardpapaharrington@gmail.com
Dr. Cheryl Abrams Collier – 13th Circuit(Greenville, Pickens)
Phone: 864-879-0369
Email: cacollier@bellsouth.net
Mary M. Cordray – 14th Circuit (Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, Jasper)
Phone: 803-312-1196
Email: MCordray@ed.sc.gov
Alan Walters – 15th Circuit (Georgetown, Horry)
Phone: 843-458-5147
Email: AWalters@gcsd.k12.sc.us
Jackie Terribile – 16th Circuit (York, Union)
Phone: 317-572-0452
Email: jterribile@ed.sc.gov
Group email to all representatives
You can copy and paste the paragraph below into the “To” field of your email to send a group email. This group does not include the following members who have chosen not to make their email addresses public: Maya Slaughter and Beverly Frierson.
davidoshields@lcsd56g.com,rnrallison@charter.net,cstapleton@bsd45.net, delaneykay@yahoo.com,jacqueline.lynn@darlington.k12.sc.us,crimmingerj@gmail.com joettecjohnson@gmail.com,dr_hanley@yahoo.com, sallierlee@gmail.com, tshore@saludaschools.org,richardpapaharrington@gmail.com, cacollier@bellsouth.net, MCordray@ed.sc.gov,AWalters@gcsd.k12.sc.us,jterribile@ed.sc.gov