Scholastic Book Fair has taken into account the variety of legislation in USA regarding school books. Extremists don’t like it and insist children must be indoctrinated according to their “intersectional” beliefs.
The arrival of fall signals the Scholastic Book Fair season in schools nationwide, a cherished tradition for many students and adults who appreciate quality reading. However, recent controversy surrounds the book fair events after Scholastic, the educational and publishing company behind them, altered its policy to address the increasing number of book regulations in the U.S., leading to largely baseless accusations of promoting censorship.
TikTok and Reddit (!!) were ablaze with complaints from school librarians who alleged that Scholastic allowed schools to opt out of offering diverse books at book fairs (the horror!), particularly those dealing with issues of race and sexuality. Backlash was immediate, with some educators and authors accusing the company of “enabling book bans” and “not taking a strong stance” against them.
Scholastic confirmed the policy change, citing legislation in over 30 states that restricts certain books, primarily those related to LGBTQIA+ and racial themes, from schools. Scholastic emphasized the challenges this created for teachers and librarians, given the risk of legal consequences. To address this, Scholastic introduced the “Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice” collection for elementary school fairs. While not a perfect solution, Scholastic asserted it was better than not offering these books at all. The company has clarified that there are still “diverse titles” at its book fairs, and middle school fairs remain unaffected, noting that the change has been well-received by many school districts.
