Scholastic will drop policy that makes it easier for school fairs to exclude diverse books
Source: Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Scholastic Inc. will end a widely criticized policy that made it easier for school book fairs not to sell works with racial, disability and LGBTQ+ themes.
The children’s publisher angered many authors and educators this fall when it created a separate package of dozens of books, labeled “Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice,” and gave schools the option on whether to include them in fairs. Poet Amanda Gorman, whose “Change Sings” was among the titles in “Share Every Story,” had said in an Instagram video that Scholastic’s decision “felt like a betrayal.”
Scholastic had said the policy, which will remain in place for the rest of the year, was a response to the proliferation of restrictions passed by states around the country. The publisher has not settled on a strategy for 2024.
“This fall, we made changes in our U.S. elementary school fairs out of concern for our Book Fair hosts. In doing this, we offered a collection of books to supplement the diverse collection of titles already available at the Scholastic Book Fair. We understand now that the separate nature of the collection has caused confusion and feelings of exclusion,” according to a Scholastic statement issued Wednesday.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/scholastic-school-book-fairs-diverse-956ab6ac29aa361d3b515acee0eac501
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Glad they reversed their decision but what were they thinking? We have to stand up to the zealots or they'll never stop. The list of books will get longer & longer till the Bible is the only book allowed, but only for men cuz women shouldn't be taught to read.
