A new South Carolina state education committee recommended Thursday that literary classics “To Kill A Mockingbird,” “1984” and “Romeo & Juliet” remain on shelves and in classrooms in public schools.
The books were included in a first-of-its-kind review of 11 titles considered for statewide banning under a regulation that critics decry as censorship.
Committee chair Christian Hanley said he received nearly 100 emails from people expressing opinions on the review.
“I asked the state Department of Education if there were any books that were challenged in multiple districts that were clearly violative, or if there were any books that came up frequently in our public comments that we might deal with, so they produced a list," he said.
The other books on the list, like “Damsel” by Elana K. Arnold, “Ugly Love” by Colleen Hoover and several fantasy novels by Sarah J. Maas were recommended for removal.