Scholastic Reverses Policy Allowing Schools to Opt out of 'Diverse' Books at Fairs

Scholastic has backtracked on its previous decision to allow school districts to decide whether they wish to sell a collection of books, including those with LGBT themes and "diverse" titles, at school book fairs following backlash over the move.

In a statement, the publisher said it will discontinue its separate collection of books on race and gender moving forward and apologized on behalf of the company to "every author, illustrator, licensor, educator, librarian, parent and reader who was hurt by our action," noting its former decision, while made "with good intention," was a mistake.

The children’s book publisher had previously placed books on themes such as race, gender, and sexuality into a separate optional catalog, titled "Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice," out of concern for its book fair hosts in the wake of legislation passed in various states aimed at preventing children from accessing inappropriate or sexually explicit content.

Sixty-four books were placed in the collection, allowing schools to opt in or out of showcasing them at the book fairs, NBC News reported. The diversity collection is one of several "cases" or collections of books that book fair organizers can choose from when ordering books for a fair.