Scholastic apologizes, reverses decision siloing books on race, LGBTQ topics
The president of the children’s book publisher Scholastic has apologized and reversed the company’s decision to separate books discussing LGBTQ themes and race into a special collection this fall.
The “Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice” collection will be discontinued in January, Scholastic president Ellie Berger wrote in a letter to authors and illustrators posted to social media on Tuesday by author Vicky Fang.
In the letter, Berger stressed Scholastic's good intentions but acknowledged it was a mistake to segregate diverse books. The books come in a separate case that elementary schools can include in − or exclude from − their fall book fairs. A representative for children's book author Juana Martinez-Neal, the recipient of a Caldecott Honor, confirmed her literary agency, Full Circle Literary, also received a copy of Berger's letter.
The decision, which Scholastic said originally was made to protect school employees from liability in states or districts that have enacted book restrictions, drew intense ire from some bestselling authors and librarians last week. Many pointed to the decision as evidence of a beloved American tradition falling victim to culture-war battles.
"This fall, we made changes in our U.S. elementary school fairs out of concern for our Book Fair hosts," Scholastic said in a statement to USA TODAY. "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. We are working across Scholastic to find a better way."
Scholastic's plan for 'diverse' books: Separating them at book fairs
Scholastic will find an 'alternate way' to get diverse books to kids
When news of the controversial collection surfaced, the free speech group PEN America released a statement accusing the publisher of being a potential “accessory to government censorship.” One liberal mom groups said Scholastic was clearing the path for “book banning extremists." The Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group, said in a statement to USA TODAY that every child − regardless of race, sexual orientation or gender identity − deserves to see their lives reflected in the stories they read.
Fang, the children’s book author and illustrator who posted the letter from Scholastic on X, formerly Twitter, said in a post that the letter was sent directly to herself and other authors.
“We recognize and acknowledge the pain caused, and that we have broken the trust of some of our publishing community, customers, friends, trusted partners, and staff,” Berger wrote in her letter. “We also recognize that we will now need to regain that trust.”
For the rest of this fall’s book fairs, Scholastic will “find an alternate way to get a greater range of books into the hands of children,” she said. She pledged to double the company’s efforts to contend with laws restricting access to children’s books.
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Zachary Schermele is a breaking news and education reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Scholastic reverses decision separating banned books at book fairs
