EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this story inaccurately stated that FDOE has banned the list of removed books from every district in the state.
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — Florida has published the list of library books that were challenged and removed from all of the state’s 67 school districts during the 2022–2023 school year.
The Florida Department of Education’s (FDOE) list included 300 books needed that were pulled out of school libraries across the state – though many of those were multiple copies of the same book titles. The department published the full list on its website this week.
The majority of challenges came in a handful of districts. For example, Clay County Schools received 489 book challenges during the school year, 177 of which resulted in removal. In Escambia County, only 9 of the 215 challenges led to removals.
Meanwhile, almost 90 percent of the 110 books challenged in Martin County are now prohibited in the district. Over 30 districts did not have any books challenged and several others received only a handful of challenges.
PORN IN SCHOOLS
In March, Governor Ron DeSantis hosted an exposé on the prevalence of pornographic library books in public school libraries. Four of the books shared at the time were included in FDOE’s list.
The governor’s press conference began by playing a video compilation of pornographic books found in various school districts and inaccurate news reports related to the issue of inappropriate books in schools. Prior to the start of the video, attendees were asked to escort children out of the room and disclaimers warning of adult content were issued.
Warning: This video contains pornographic images and content not suitable for children. If you can’t read these books at a school board meeting, should they be in a school? https://t.co/gHBoQh5eYa
— Taryn Fenske (@tarynfenske) March 8, 2023
Images from the books were so obscene that news stations broadcasting the press conference opted to cut their feed during the video.
“There is a concerted effort to bring some of this sexualization into the classroom, particularly in some of these young grades,” DeSantis said after the video concluded. “How is that an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars?”
BOOK CHALLENGE PROCESS
Throughout the 2022–2023 school year, the public comment portions of school board meetings were routinely dominated by parents and other concerned citizens decrying scores of sexually explicit books available to elementary and middle school students in classroom libraries.
However, not every complaint resulted in a formal challenge to have the book removed. Florida requires every district to provide challenge forms on their website, but the process is often cumbersome and time consuming. The significant commitment of time and energy are not the only deterrents districts set before concerned parents. Two parents who completed the challenge process saw their personal information posted on the district’s website.
READ MORE: Doxing Parents? School District Leaks Address, Phone, Email of Moms Against Gay Sex Book
In Hillsborough County, a single request took nearly seven months from start to finish. Parents were told they must go through the challenge process to remove any objectionable books. The process has to be carried out for the same book at every individual school library housing it, unless the challenge makes its way to the school board. Even then, the board could choose to restrict the vote to the individual school.
During the 2023 Legislative Session, lawmakers sought to reform the process by requiring districts to pull any book that has been challenged due to concerns that a book has sexually explicit content. The book must remain unavailable until the challenge has been completed and the review committee decides the book will stay in the library.
READ MORE: Speaker Renner Investigates Obscene Books in Hillsborough County Schools
