SC government removes books from public schools to “adapt to age groups”

The government of the state of Santa Catarina, led by Jorginho Mello (PL-SC), ordered the withdrawal of nine literary works from circulation, according to a statement sent to public schools this Wednesday (8). The determination was signed by the regional education supervisor, Waldemar Ronssen Júnior, and the regional education integrator, Anelise dos Santos de Medeiros, without mentioning the criteria adopted for the selection.

According to the statement, the works must be “removed from circulation and stored in a location not accessible to the school community”. The Department of Education claims to seek the redistribution of titles to better adapt to the age groups of the different modalities in the state network. The list covers genres such as horror, drama and works that address behavioral issues such as sex, gender and bullying.

“The State Department of Education (SED) informs that it is redistributing some of the library titles, seeking to better adapt literary works to the age groups of different modalities. The books are not prohibited, but will be collected to prevent undue access to works intended for adult readers, according to the Regional Education Coordination of Florianópolis”, said the secretariat in a note.

The letter sent to schools does not provide justification for the withdrawal of titles, limiting itself to promising new guidelines soon. The Secretariat did not clarify how it defined the removed works.

The list includes the following works: “The Chemistry Between Us (Larry Young and Brian Alexander)”, “The Satanic Heart (William Hjortsberg)”, “Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly)”, “Ed Lorraine Warren: Demonologists – Supernatural Archive (Gerald Brittle)”, “Exorcism (Thomas B. Allen)”, “It: The Thing (Stephen King)”, “A Clockwork Orange (Anthony Burgess)”, “The 13 Whys (Jay Ascher)” and “The Devil’s Diary: The secrets of Alfred Rosenberg, the greatest intellectual of Nazism (Robert K. Wittman and David Kinney)”. The release of the list on social media generated criticism of the state government, with questions about freedom of expression and access to information, but also praise from parents concerned about the content of the works.

Jorginho Mello, who took office at the beginning of the year with the support of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), faces reactions similar to similar episodes that occurred in 2020 in Rondônia, where 43 books were considered “inadequate for children and adolescents”. The Department of Education issued a statement stating that the books are not prohibited, but will be redistributed after collection.