Expert Panel on South Carolina School Library Book Bans

At the meeting of our local  Troublenation Red Wine & Blue group this Sunday from 2:00 - 4:00 PM, a civil rights attorney, an educational and employment law attorney, and a retired high school librarian will share the podium to discuss the "book bans" that are being used in South Carolina public schools to deny access to students and threaten teachers with job loss and criminal penalties if they defy the bans.   After the library opens its doors at 2:00 PM, we will begin our meeting with light refreshments.  Presentations will begin at 2:30 PM, followed by Q&A.   To protect privacy of what could be sensitive questions from the educators who may be present, we request that If you have specific questions, please email them ahead of time to [email protected]  (Please put "Book Bans" in the subject of the email.)  

Speaker Josh Malkin worked for five years as a high school teacher, through the Teach for America Program, and then went to law school at Columbia Law School in NYC.  Josh  became a civil rights attorney and now serves the ACLU of South Carolina as its Director of Advocacy.  Josh is deeply familiar with the new regulations, both as they were proposed and also as they were modified during the legislative process.   

Speaker Meredith Cooper Brown earned her MAT from Teachers College of Columbia University, where she specialized in inclusiveness in education.  After later earning her law degree from the U of SC, Meredith went to work as a litigator for the law firm of Burnett Shutt McDaniel, where she focuses on education and employment law including representation of teachers.   Meredith's legal advocacy for teachers and students gives voice to her passion for providing an excellent education to every student and a safe environment for those who educate them. 

Speaker Dr. Laura Haverkamp is a former high school English teacher and was the librarian at Dreher High School for 24 years. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Practice for Louisiana State University and an adjunct for Indiana University. Laura is currently teaching a collection policy course preparing librarians in training all over the country to defend materials, where she draws on recent experiences defending “Gender Queer” and other texts.