Fearing penalties, some Florida school districts are pulling hundreds of books

Some Florida school districts have removed hundreds of books from school shelves. Some haven’t removed any.

The contrast is in large part due to confusion and varying interpretations of recent state laws created by Gov. Ron DeSantis and legislative Republicans aimed at targeting “inappropriate” books in schools.

Yet, the onus is on districts and teachers to make sure their shelves are clear of any titles that run afoul of law, with fears of felony charges if they fail. There’s been limited guidance from the state government that could help.

To remove the risk of penalties, some counties have preemptively removed hundreds of titles for review.

Escambia County, on Florida’s westernmost end, has pulled around 1,500 books, citing a new law that went into effect over the summer that targets novels with depictions of “sexual conduct.” Those removed have included multiple dictionaries and thesauruses and multiple issues of "Ripley's Believe It or Not!"

Anne Frank's "The Diary of a Young Girl" also was pulled.

In Central Florida’s Orange County, more than 600 books have been removed from classroom libraries for the same reason, according to data provided by the school district.

Books are on a 'pending review' list

Even before the widespread review purge, Escambia schools had books restricted pending review as far back as a year and a half ago, according to a county list of challenges. “Slaughterhouse Five” by Kurt Vonnegut, for example, received a challenge on Sept. 2, 2022. The title now is on the broader list of around 1,500.

And even groups pushing for book removals are fed up with the review process.

“They’ve got bloated administrative budgets, they’ve got people doing all kinds of things,” said Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, which has become a leading conservative voice against “inappropriate” books in schools.

“If they don’t have the time to vet the books that are in the libraries then they have no business being in their jobs,” she said.

Stephana Ferrell of the Florida Freedom to Read Project, which obtained the data breaking the news about Orange County reviews, said those aren’t the only counties where books have been pulled for reviews – and that she expected more counties to follow suit.

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Ferrell said in a “perfect world” they’d have quick reviews.

“But with what resources?” she said. Moms for Liberty "pushed for a law that pushed millions of books that were in our schools into question, all at once.”

“They created the chaos on purpose, and now they’re saying, ‘Why is there chaos?’” Ferrell said.

And if a county does have a quick review, it could mean it wasn’t a thorough one, she said, leading to unnecessary removals. Thorough reviews of so many titles could take years, she predicted. Ferrell thinks thorough reviews could take years.

When asked if there was a timeline for reviews, Orange County Public Schools spokesperson David Ocasio responded in an email, "Fluidity and on-going."

A spokesperson for Escambia County Public Schools Superintendent, Cody Strother, told the Pensacola News Journal, "The 1,000+ books they reference have not been banned or removed from the school district; rather, they have simply been pulled for further review to ensure compliance with the new legislation."

In a Thursday evening statement to the USA TODAY Network-Florida, its superintendent, Keith Leonard, bashed news outlets that he said "sensationalize(d) this situation." He dismissed the idea that the books were "banned."

"Our school district, and especially our dedicated media specialists, remain committed to adhering to all statutes and regulations, while also providing valuable and varied literacy opportunities for every student."

This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA Today Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Douglas Soule is based in Tallahassee, Fla. He can be reached at DSoule@gannett.com. On X: @DouglasSoule.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida law causing schools to pull hundreds of books for review