Scholastic apologises for separate books programme in US

Scholastic says it will discontinue its separate books programme for its school book fairs in the US, noting “it was a mistake to segregate diverse books in an elective case”.  

The publisher came under fire earlier this month for its decision to separate certain book titles in school fairs in the United States by race, gender of sexuality, allowing districts to opt in or out of the catalogue, called Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice. The separate catalogue was a response to pending and enacted book bans in the US and did not ship automatically with book fair orders, but was available as an add on. 

After librarians shared news of the case online and Scholastic wrote an explanation, the programme drew widespread criticism from authors including Amanda Gorman, Celeste Ng and Jacqueline Woodson, prompting Scholastic’s reversal.  

In a public statement, Ellie Berger, the president of Scholastic Trade Publishing, apologised on behalf of the company. “Even if the decision was made with good intention, we understand now that it was a mistake to segregate diverse books in an elective case,” she said. “We recognise and acknowledge the pain caused, and that we have broken the trust of some of our publishing community, customers, friends, trusted partners and staff, and we also recognise that we will now need to regain that trust.” 

The separate catalogue will be discontinued with Scholastic’s new season in January, the statement added, and the company said it is working on a “pivot plan” for current book fairs in the meantime: “We remain committed to the books in this collection and support their sale throughout our distribution channels.” 

In response to the decision, Jonathan Friedman, director of Free Expression and Education Programs at PEN America said: “Scholastic recognised that, as difficult a bind as this pernicious legislation created the right answer was not to become an accessory to censorship. Scholastic is an essential source of knowledge and a delight for countless children. We are glad to see them champion the freedom to read.”