ProTruthSC

Graphic defining the current law as creating neo-vouchers

Graphic pointing out the likely unconstitutionality of the current law, modeled on a previous voucher law largely overturned by the S.C. Supreme Court.

Graphic summarizing the committee’s discussion of homeschool families accessing about 10% of voucher funds last year, which is prohibited by the law.

Graphic explaining that the current law does not hold those who receive funds sufficiently accountable for how they spend them.

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-requiring private schools that choose to receive voucher funds to end practices that discriminate against students based on their gender, identity or religious beliefs. 4/5

-better funding students who continue attending their community public schools, to pay for services they lack because of local or state underfunding… 3/5

Graphic containing the same suggestions for amendments included in this thread.

-requiring accountability for all funds
-ending current requirements that families waive their rights to special education (under IDEA) to collect funds
-ending the Department’s current practice of allowing families to claim funds for unaccountable “homeschool” services in violation of the law… 2/5

Screenshot of the agenda for the 2/19 meeting of the SC senate ed committee.

A Senate education committee will meet 2/19 to discuss amendments to South Carolina’s existing school voucher law. Please contact members of the committee before 2/18 to urge them to amend the existing law by… 1/5

YouTube video by ProTruth South Carolina SC Senators discuss potential violations of school voucher law

SC Senators discuss potential (and predictable) violations of SC’s unconstitutional school voucher law. Public funds should benefit students in a way that is transparent and accountable. The new law is neither.
youtu.be/hVdf0RhaKTE

Correction: the email address in the image should read 3M1Health@schouse.gov

Full text of bill: www.scstatehouse.gov/sess126_2025...
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H. 4757 gives individual parents greater power to restrict teaching about diverse groups of people, including LGBTQ+ people. It makes the jobs of educators and students much harder by censoring a range of topics and adding burdensome paperwork and reporting requirements for schools. 3/

While we support the rights of parents to be involved in education, “parental rights” is often a codeword used by Moms for Liberty and other groups to give individual parents power over educational decisions that impact all students.2/

Graphic about SC House Bill 4747. Description in text of post.

Please email 3M1health@schouse.gov by 3PM to share feedback on H. 4757, the so-called “parental rights” censorship bill. 1/

The primary theme in the challenges today seems to be a focus on references to or depictions of sexual assault in books written for older students and adults. 19/

The former board member taught The Kite Runner himself: “it’s vital for [students] to be exposed to another culture.” 18/

A former school board member testifies in favor of retaining The Kite Runner. He praises the previous process of book reconsideration and specifically the requirements that reviewers read the whole book and understand the passages “in context”. 17/

She is again reading an out-of-context reference of sexual assault (though the reference does not contain explicit description). 16/

Szalai is now challenging The Kite Runner. 15/

So far, only two speakers, who originally challenged a total of 97 books in Beaufort Schools, have testified in favor of banning the books. 14/

A speaker defends the inclusion of The Bluest Eye in high school, saying teachers who choose it are helping their students learn to read “challenging” texts. 10/

Szalai is now challenging the book The Freedom Writer’s Diary. 13/

Courtney Thomas of @aclusc.bsky.social addresses the book Sold, on behalf of Beaufort residents. She says the book requires that the reader to infer that sex is being described. She says the State Board established a precedent that sex had to be described explicitly. 12/

Szalai again reads a graphic, out-of-context description of sexual assault, arguing the book currently being discussed should be banned from Beaufort schools. 11/

A speaker defends the inclusion of The Bluest Eye in high school, saying teachers who choose it are helping their students learn to read “challenging” texts. 10/

Another speaker who frequently speaks on behalf of book bans says parents who want their kids to read the challenged books should “buy them at Barnes and Noble”. We don’t believe children’s access to books should be restricted by their family’s finances. 9/

The board is allowing Beaufort residents to call in to speak on individual titles (currently, The Bluest Eye). 843-322-0733.

Szalai is reading sexually descriptive excerpts (in this case, some material is related a character’s feelings about sexual assault) she has described as violative of the regulation. She has said she hopes children present have their parents’ permission to hear it. 8/

The Board will either vote to restrict, retain, or remove each book challenged by Szalai. 7/

Same speaker: “I’m not sure why we’re here: these books have already been dealt with locally.” She calls it an “insult” to those who engaged with the original process. 6/

The current speaker, the SIC chair at her daughter’s school, participated on Beaufort’s review commiteee. She praises that process and said she read every book. 5/

The first book Szalai is speaking against is Toni Morrison’s acclaimed novel The Bluest Eye. 4/

The third speaker says “we came together as a community” to carefully consider the books the first time. 3/