Scholastic and Their History
Many students can agree that the Scholastic Book Fair is something very fun, that they look forward to. It was an event where kids can choose the books that they wanted, all in a very fun setting.
Additionally, students would receive bags of books, completely free, that way they can continue to enhance their education at home and school alike. However, as the years have gone by, there have been more and more states that continue to place bans on certain books in schools. Scholastic has tried their best to adjust to these bans. However, it has been quite a challenge for them, as books continue to get banned each and every day.
States Banning Books
States are not just banning any book that they come across. These books have some particular things in common. These things range from LGBTQIA+, to mentions of race in these books as well.
“Scholastic acknowledged the change in a statement on Friday but defended its decision. Enacted or pending legislation in more than 30 states prohibits certain kinds of books — mostly “LGBTQIA+ titles and books that engage with the presence of racism in our country” — from being in schools, the company said,” according to NPR News.
There have been many school librarians and officials that have been against these kinds of books. This is why these bans are taking place in the first place. It is to reduce the amount of books that share this kind of information. However, many students and parents alike continue to embrace the nostalgia and memories that are created and have been created because of this book fair.
“Schools across the country are setting up shelves in their libraries and gymnasiums to let students shop a vast selection of books provided by the educational and publishing company. It’s a highlight for many students, and a nostalgic memory for many adults,” according to WVIA News.
What Is Scholastic Doing to Combat This?
Scholastic understands that many people are not happy with the selection of books that are being published. Therefore, they offered a different solution that would work for schools.
“The company said in order to continue offering diverse books, it created a new collection for its elementary school fairs called ‘Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice,'” according to Houston Public Media. Therefore, even though they agree this may not be the most perfect solution, at least it offers a way for these books not to be banned by the states.
Additionally, they have already mentioned that they do not plan on removing these types of books at all in the future whatsoever. “We don’t pretend this solution is perfect — but the other option would be to not offer these books at all — which is not something we’d consider,” Scholastic said, adding that there are still diverse titles at all of its book fairs and that middle school fairs remain unchanged.”
Moreover, even though there are many books that are being banned from certain schools, offering this solution is the first step to get these books back on the shelves. It is also a way for this traditional event to continue happening in the future for more generations of children.
The Future of Scholastic
At first, the future for Scholastic was not looking the brightest. There were thousands of books that continued to be banned by state legislators. However, this solution will certainly continue to keep this event going for generations to come. Only time will tell how different state legislators and school officials think of this solution. It is also to see if it is approved from the get-go.
Written by David Loran Jr
Sources:
NPR News: U.S. book bans are taking a toll on a beloved tradition: Scholastic Book Fairs
WVIA News: U.S. book bans are taking a toll on a beloved tradition: Scholastic Book Fairs
Houston Public Media: U.S. book bans are taking a toll on a beloved tradition: Scholastic Book Fairs
Featured Image Courtesy of areta ekarafi’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Jay Cross’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License