A State Board of Education panel recommended Thursday that Crank, a frank novel about a young woman’s struggles with methamphetamine addiction, remain available for checkout in S.C. high school libraries, but only with parental permission.
“This material, much like 1984, goes up to the line,” committee chair Christian Hanley said, referring to the George Orwell novel the panel approved last month. “In fact, I think this author may have gotten a little closer to the line, but I don’t think she actually crossed it.”
Due to those concerns, committee members added a requirement that libraries provide the state’s five-page review of the book’s most controversial passages to all parents considering it for their children.
After the decision, the book’s author, Ellen Hopkins, argued that parents who object to the book should have to affirmatively deny checkout approval for their children rather than the other way around.
“This is a poor compromise,” Hopkins said in a social media post. “Opting out is an acceptable compromise. But at least it’s still there and semi-available.”
In other business, committee members deferred action on two other young adult novels, Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. The full Board of Education will make a final decision regarding the availability of Crank on Dec. 3.
In other recent news
Smith denied parole 30 years after murdering sons. State officials denied notorious S.C. child-killer Susan Smith’s request for parole despite Smith’s pleas that God had forgiven her for her crimes. Smith will be eligible for parole again in two years.
Ex-Westinghouse executive sentenced to prison for V.C. Summer crimes. Prosecutors say former Westinghouse executive Jeffrey Benjamin lied to regulators about delays and cost overruns at the planned V.C. Summer nuclear power site, which was later abandoned at a cost of $9 billion to S.C. ratepayers. He’s expected to spend 10 months in federal prison.
S.C. virtual charter school’s governance fractures following staff lawsuit. Two different groups of board members are claiming authority over the S.C. Virtual Charter School as a lawsuit from several school employees moves forward.
Former DHEC director nominated to lead S.C. public health agency. Gov. Henry McMaster has tapped interim director Dr. Edward Simmer of South Carolina’s 5-month-old public health agency to permanently lead the department.
Wilson calls for more protections for kids online. The government has put guardrails in place on movies, TV, alcohol, and tobacco companies, requiring them to act in a way that prevents harm to kids and teens, S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson says..
Transgender teen sues S.C. over school bathroom law. The lawsuit focuses on a temporary law in the current state budget which requires people, including students, to use school restrooms and locker rooms based on their biological sex at birth.
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