Though Santa Rosa book ban clashes continue, few parents are actually limiting library access
The Santa Rosa County School Board meeting Tuesday morning was a room divided.
Representatives from the national Moms for Liberty group, a self-proclaimed parents' rights group that began making waves in Santa Rosa County in May, were confronted by supporters from its opposing “Stop Moms for ‘Liberty’” group during the meeting.
In a roiling debate over what books are appropriate for school children and whether sexuality has any place on school bookshelves, the Stop Moms for ‘Liberty’ chapter claims that parents should have the power to make decisions for their own children but the frequent Moms for Liberty book challenges take library books away from everyone.
Amid the clash of ideologies, Santa Rosa County school district officials argued they are all on the "same side" of wanting to do what's in the best interest of students, and made the case that their book review process is serving the overwhelming majority of local families well.
Where does the Santa Rosa County School District stand on book challenges?
Michael Thorpe, the school district’s assistant superintendent over curriculum and instruction, reported Tuesday that parents are exercising their right to choose their student's access levels to the district's media centers and classroom libraries. What the district found is that the vast majority of parents want their children to have access to all that district's school libraries offer. Out of the 30,000-plus students in the school district, only 51 parents have restricted their children’s access to limited. No one has selected to restrict their child's access altogether.
“We believe that paints a picture of what is going on in our media centers,” Thorpe said.
Thorpe maintained that the district is following the direction of Department of Education's guidance on book challenges appropriately, and that noted that other school districts have taken their interpretation of House Bill 1069 “too far.”
School Board Attorney Terry Harmon, who provided legal counsel at Tuesday's meeting regarding which books stay and go, advised that there are multiple different tests a book has to go through before it is removed permanently, and state statues provide loose definitions on what makes a sexually descriptive book passage "pornographic." This is what makes discussion during the book's review committee so vital in determining its overall value, he said.
“You have to take the book as a whole,” Harmon said. “There is an analysis that has to be done.”
The school board is bound by Florida's House Bill 1069, which took effect in July, to remove a challenged book from the shelves within five days of a challenge if the book is being challenged on a basis for pornographic material or sexual conduct.
However, according to district Superintendent Karen Barber, this does not means that people should forego the district's formal challenge process. An official "challenge" requires filling out the proper form posted on the district's website. The first question on the form being, “Have you read, seen, viewed, and/or listened to this material in its entirety?”
Barber said the district has received over 50 book challenges since the very first form came in May, and only one book has been put back on the shelves so far: that's the Bible.
“Everything else has been weeded or quarantined,” Barber said.
Will Santa Rosa County Schools close school libraries?
Although Barber takes the book challenges seriously, she said the district needs the community's support in taking the time to see the district's book review process through.
Barber said she will not be closing any school libraries or media centers, and it takes time to work through the district's expansive collection, as there is only one librarian per school. She added she has the challenged books analyzed “thoughtfully and purposefully” through the review process before coming to a decision, instead of making it hastily.
Even after turning in a challenge form, it takes collaboration in working with the district staff to come to a decision on the book.
“We are all on the same side,” Barber said.
Will Santa Rosa County Schools remove 65+ books?
Some public speakers criticized the district’s purported lack of transparency on what books have been challenged and where they stand in the review process.
That concern has led some citizens to create a website of their own called SRC Challenged Books to help keep track of the books that are in question. The spreadsheet had recorded 71 challenged books as of Nov. 14.
Most books on the list are noted to be quarantined and pending review by a materials committee. However, some speakers claim that books, even when they are supposed to be in quarantine, are still allegedly available to students through loopholes like inter-library loans.
What are people saying about Santa Rosa County’s book review process?
One of the familiar faces to take their concerns to the Santa Rosa County School Board was Vicki Baggett, the Escambia County language arts teacher responsible for challenging over 100 titles. Baggett said she took the day off work Tuesday to attend the Santa Rosa County School Board meeting.
Baggett accused the school board of throwing their district employees under the bus as sexually explicit books have been uncovered.
“The actual burden of all the books is on you,” Baggett told board members. “You will be held accountable.”
Donna Lunsford told the school board that she, her children and grandchildren have all been part of the Santa Rosa County school system.
“Some of you used to do the right thing,” she said to board members. “What happened to change this? You obviously don’t care about these kids because you won’t take care of these issues.”
Another speaker was Santa Rosa County school board candidate Jennifer Tapley, who along with citizen Tom Gurski voiced concerns to the Santa Rosa County Sherriff’s Office over 'illegal activity' in the school media centers and alleged school staff members were providing pornographic material to minors. One of the books specifically in question was "Storm and Fury" by Jennifer Armentrout, which contains graphic sex scenes, including detailed descriptions of oral sex.
Tapley arrived to speak publicly before the board on Tuesday, criticizing them over their handling of the book process leveling allegations that the board was not holding staff accountable.
“May God protect our children because you sure as hell aren’t,” Tapley told the school board.
However, other speakers found the Moms for Liberty members' critical remarks empty.
“They (Moms for Liberty) do not speak for the majority,” said Santa Rosa County mother Ilana Porzecanski.
The real “majority,” Porzecanski went on to say, were at work and not present to speak at the meeting. She said they will likely end up watching the video later after picking their kids up from school and taking them to practice. However, this should not be misconstrued as silence.
Holly Picardi, of Gulf Breeze, said she feels the work that Moms for Liberty is posing a “threat to our public education system” by taking on the role of the self-appointed “morality police.”
“Censorship leads to ignorance,” Picardi said. “Each parent should be able to detect reading needs.”
Is Moms for Liberty a hate group?
The Southern Poverty Law Center labeled Florida-headquartered Moms for Liberty and 11 other right-wing “parents' rights” groups as extremist groups in its annual report released June 6.
The Southern Poverty Law Center is one of the most widely recognized research organizations tracking hate and extremism in the United States. Being added to its watchlist means almost certain notoriety. Over the years, the center has brought new focus to self-described militias, anti-immigrant groups and outright hate groups. The law center has also sued hate groups and individual extremists in the civil courts, often with great success.
However, the law center has also been criticized for designating as extremist some groups that argue they simply take a political position. The SPLC has defended itself in lawsuits, including from immigration policy groups it has designated as anti-immigrant hate groups, as well as from Gavin McInnes, who founded the Proud Boys and who has argued the center's hate group designation harmed his career.
Addressing organizations such as Moms for Liberty, SPLC claims these organizations spread conspiracy theories and operate on the myth that educators are engaged in “Marxist indoctrination” of the nation’s children by imbuing them with dangerous ideas about equality and sexuality, the law center said.
As the Moms for Liberty group has been sweeping the nation, the “Stop Moms for ‘Liberty’" spin-off chapter has also been spreading, now with at least one chapter in 43 states and over 20 subgroups in Florida alone, including Santa Rosa County.
Are Florida schools banning certain books?
With 386 books removed from schools last year, Florida is far and away the leader in book bans in the country. The state more than doubles the number of bans of Texas, which is ranked No. 2.
The Florida Department of Education provided a list of materials that were removed or discontinued by one or more of Florida’s school boards in response to objections raised by parents of students or residents of the county where the school districts are located.
However, a new report by national free speech group PEN America says that Florida school districts banned upward of 1,406 books. The report, which looked at banned materials across the country, found 3,362 instances of books banned in the 2022-23 school year, up 33% from the previous one. Forty percent of those were courtesy of Florida school districts.
Florida school districts are banning books that parents object to for a number of reasons, most of which include the following themes:
48%: Percentage of banned books that dealt with violence or physical abuse, including books that include sexual assault
42%: Percentage of banned books that cover topics on health and wellbeing, including mental health, bullying, suicide, substance abuse, sexual wellbeing and puberty
33%: Percentage of books banned that detail sexual experiences between characters
30%: Percentage of banned books that included representations of LGBTQ+ identities
29%: Percentage of book bans that include instances or themes of grief and death
6%: Percentage of banned books that included a transgender character
USA Today Network reporters Will Carless, Douglas Soule and Brandon Girod contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Santa Rosa County School Board face 50+ books in quarantine
