SC parent asks school board to ban ‘The Hunger Games’ from Midlands middle schools
A Midlands school board is considering whether to ban one of the most popular young adult novels of recent years.
The Lexington 1 board is holding a hearing on Tuesday on a parent’s challenge to the use of “The Hunger Games,” a dystopian novel that spawned multiple sequels and a blockbuster film series since its publication in 2008.
School board members are scheduled to hold a 40-minute hearing prior to their monthly meeting at school district headquarters on Tarrar Springs Road, beginning at 4:15 p.m.
A parent at Lakeside Middle School asks that the book be restricted to high school-grade students in the central Lexington school district.
The parent’s complaint form doesn’t cite a specific concern with the book — instead referring to a binder of materials and documentation that was submitted separately — but author Suzanne Collins’ teen novel has been the target of challenges in schools and libraries across the country for years.
The book revolves around the story of teenagers collected as “tribute” from poor outlying districts of the fictional country Panem to compete in a televised fight to the death, and their eventual battle against the system that runs the brutal Hunger Games.
That dark tone has led parents to challenge the book for its depictions of violence, government oppression, social inequality and rebellion against authority.
On Tuesday, board members will hear from the complainant and a district committee that reviewed the book. Board members will question both sides before opening the floor to public comments. The hearing will end with a decision from the board on whether to retain or restrict access to “The Hunger Games” in Lexington 1 schools.
This challenge is being heard by members of the local school board, but in recent months the State Board of Education has also taken on reviewing book challenges as well under new state regulations. If the state board upholds a challenge, that book must be removed from all schools in the state.
The State Board of Education, which is mostly appointed by state legislators, is empowered to hear appeals from local board decisions, but its members are not required to read a challenged book before making a decision.
This story was originally published February 24, 2025 at 12:32 PM.
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