COLUMBIA, S.C. — Gov. Henry McMaster called for an investigation immediately into the presence of "obscene and pornographic materials" at all South Carolina public schools following parents' complaints in one school district.
He has also ordered the State Law Enforcement Division to investigate whether any state laws have been broken.
McMaster's office said the governor made the request after he received examples of pornographic materials found in schools from parents in Fort Mill, specifically the book "Gender Queer: A Memoir" by Maia Kobabe. The book is an autobiography about how Kobabe dealt with being nonbinary while growing up.
The book includes "sexually explicit and pornographic depictions, which easily meet or exceed the statutory definition of obscenity," McMaster wrote to Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman.
"For sexually explicit materials of this nature to have ever been introduced or allowed in South Carolina's schools, it is obvious that there is or was either a lack of, or a complete breakdown in, any existing oversight processes or the absence of appropriate screening standards."
McMaster said he's asking SLED Chief Mark Keel to evaluate whether the materials violate state law.
Fort Mill School District spokesman Joe Burke said the district received a complaint about the book last week and undergoing a review process.
"The district has a process in place for anyone to file compliant regarding materials available in the district," Burke said in an email to McClatchy. "The book has been removed from circulation in our high school media centers and through our online catalog while the review process is completed. While the letter references the Fort Mill School District, the governor is requesting a statewide investigation and is not specifically targeting the district."
Burke added that only the district's three high schools and students of high school age had access to the book in school libraries.
