Miami district bans Amanda Gorman poem. Where do Volusia and Flagler stand on book banning?

Brenno Carillo, The Daytona Beach News-Journal
Updated ·4 min read
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On Tuesday, Miami-Dade County Schools banned elementary students from reading "The Hill We Climb," a poem authored by poet and activist Amanda Gorman and read by Gorman herself during President Joe Biden’s inauguration in January 2021.

As of September 2022, more than 550 books have been banned across 21 Florida school districts, according to PEN America, a free speech and literary organization.

Book banning in schools has been at the forefront of education politics for a couple of years, not just in Florida but nationwide.

The number of banned books in the Sunshine State is second only to Texas, where 801 books have been banned across 22 school districts.

More than 1,600 unique titles have been banned in schools across the U.S., according to PEN America.

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Most of the books challenged dealt with sexual orientation and gender identity, racism in society today, and other social issues.

One common solution that school districts have found is adopting opt-in programs for parents, thus allowing books to remain in school libraries.

Both Volusia and Flagler counties put such programs in place.

How did Volusia Schools deal with the issue?

A book reconsideration committee reviewed "Flamer," by Mike Curato, which was challenged in Volusia County.
A book reconsideration committee reviewed "Flamer," by Mike Curato, which was challenged in Volusia County.

When 19 books were informally challenged in Volusia County due to sexual content, the district created a "book reconsideration committee" to review each book’s content and make a recommendation.

The committee was comprised of nine members: a chairperson of a school advisory committee or designee; a media specialist; a principal; a curriculum supervisor; two instructional staff members; and three parents/citizens.

The books reviewed were:

  • "All Boys Aren't Blue" by George Johnson.

  • "The Black Flamingo" by Dean Atta.

  • "Burned" by Ellen Hopkins.

  • "Crank" by Ellen Hopkins.

  • "Darius the Great Deserves Better" by Adib Khorram.

  • "Fade" by Lisa McMann.

  • "Flamer" by Mike Curato.

  • "Glass" by Ellen Hopkins.

  • "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika Sanchez.

  • "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson.

  • "The Infinite Moment of Us" by Lauren Myracle.

  • "Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me" by Mariko Tamaki.

  • "Looking for Alaska" by John Green.

  • "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Perez.

  • "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky.

  • "Sold" by Patricia McCormick.

  • "TTFN" by Lauren Myracle.

  • "TTYL" by Lauren Myracle.

  • "YOLO" by Lauren Myracle.

The superintendent accepted 18 of the 19 titles, allowing them to stay in the district’s high school libraries; just two titles (“Sold” and “Crank”) were allowed in middle school libraries.

Only one title, “Flamer,” was removed from all school libraries. The semi-autobiographical graphic novel by Mike Curato tells the story of a boy in a Boy Scouts summer camp as he deals with bullying, friendships and his self-discovery journey as a gay man.

The district also adopted an opt-in program for these books, allowing parents to decide whether their children can access them. Students who do not have restrictions can continue to check the books out of the library.

How did Flagler Schools deal with the issue?

The book, "All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto," tells the story of its author, George M. Johnson, growing up Black and queer in America.
The book, "All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto," tells the story of its author, George M. Johnson, growing up Black and queer in America.

Flagler County Schools found a similar solution and adopted an opt-in program for parents.

That move, which was made in early 2022, gives parents the option to choose which books their child can check out through an online portal. Parents must first meet with the school’s media specialists, literary coaches and administrators before making the decision.

Prior to the program's creation, Flagler Schools parents were already able to permit their high-schoolers to read books labeled as “adult content” and their elementary school students to read books labeled "young adult."

In November 2021, former board member Jill Woolbright filed a police report because she claimed a book in school libraries violated obscenity laws.

The book, "All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto," tells the story of its author, George M. Johnson, growing up Black and queer in America. Parts of the book include descriptions of masturbation, oral and anal sex, and sexual assault.

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office later found that no crime had been committed by the placement of the book in some school libraries, which prompted the start of the opt-in program discussion in the district.

More than a year later, public records showed that four students out of nearly 12,700 in the district have restricted access to books in school libraries.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia, Flagler implement solutions to keep 'banned' books in school