Book banning is nothing new. In fact, it has been around for centuries. What is considered the first book ban in the United States took place in 1637 in what is now known as Quincy, Massachusetts. Thomas Morton published his New English Canaan which was subsequently banned by the Puritan government as it was considered a harsh and heretical critique of Puritan customs and power structures.
Check out this timeline of bannings and burnings in history by Freedom to Read.
On March 20, 2022, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 1467 which requires districts to catalog every book on their shelves and put a formal review process in place for complaints. Specifically, schoolbooks must be reviewed by an employee holding a media specialist certificate to ensure they're free of pornography or certain race-based teachings.
To put into perspective the size of reviewing the titles, 54 librarians across all schools and the districts have taken on the task of reviewing more than 1.6 million titles.
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Regulation 43-170 and its Implementation
The regulation, which allows for statewide book bans, took effect on June 25, 2024. It mandates the removal of any material in K-12 public schools that contains descriptions or visual depictions of “sexual conduct,” regardless of the age or grade level of the students.
This regulation has been described by groups like the ACLU and PEN America as one of the most restrictive in the U.S. and has been a primary driver of the new bans.
Leading the Nation
As of May 2025, South Carolina has officially surpassed Utah to lead the nation in state-mandated school book bans.
One Parent's Influence
The trend of a single parent's influence continues. A large number of the books challenged at the state level originated from a single parent who previously challenged 97 titles in Beaufort County schools. The new regulation allows for a parent to appeal a local school board's decision directly to the State Board of Education, which can then issue a statewide ban.
Number of Banned Books
An August 2025 report from the ACLU of South Carolina indicates that of 27 books reviewed by the State Board in the past year, 21 were completely removed, one was restricted, and five were allowed to remain. Another source from May 2025 states that 10 additional books were banned, bringing the total to 22 at that time.
Read this ACLU article titled "With 10 additional books removed, South Carolina leads nation in statewide school book bans"
See the video below about Regulation 43-170.
June 25, 2024
