Greenville County Schools Delays Book Fairs for the Year

Empty school library shelves.

Greenville County Schools Delays Book Fairs for the Year

Greenville, S.C. – The Greenville County School District has announced that it will not be holding book fairs this school year. The decision comes after new regulations implemented by the State Board of Education on August 1st require that all teaching materials and books presented to students must be age-appropriate and free of any sexual content.

Tim Waller, a spokesperson for the district, explained that the announcement aims to protect staff, including employees and media specialists, from the risk of unintentionally breaking these new rules. “We want to protect our employees, media specialists, teachers, anyone who might be involved in any respect with these book fairs,” Waller stated. “We decided this year just not to have them,” he added.

The timing of these new regulations, coupled with the proximity to the traditional book fair season, has left the district with little time to create a system to review each book that they would want to showcase. Waller assured that this is a temporary measure, stating, “When I say pause, that means simply that we plan at some point in the future to go back to having book fairs; we love book fairs.”

Other districts, such as Spartanburg School District 5, have chosen to continue with their book fairs despite the same regulations. In response, Greenville County leaders are shifting their focus to other compliance measures. They are investing in resources, including book scanners for all schools, allowing parents to check what books are available for their children through a public database.

Waller further pointed out that funds are being set aside for clerical help to assist in cataloging books effectively, ensuring all materials fit the new state requirements. The South Carolina Department of Education has expressed its support for the district in navigating these changes.

The situation remains fluid as the district seeks to find a solution that allows book fairs to return in the future while complying with the new standards.