Watch: Escambia School Board reviews 2 books that focus on sexual assault
The Escambia County School Board will meet tonight at 5:30 p.m. for a special school board meeting where they will discuss two books that have been challenged in Escambia County Public Schools.
Tune into the meeting via live stream below and read about the books being challenged, the process and find a link to a database that shows a complete list of challenged books in Escambia.
What books will Escambia School Board review this week?
This week, two more books are up for the Escambia County School Board’s vote on Thursday, “Push” by Sapphire and “Lucky” by Alice Sebold.
The books were already reviewed by the District Materials Review Committee, which recommended to keep both books in their school libraries.
Escambia County book ban database: Every book being challenged in schools
Why were books "Push" and "Lucky" challenged?
“Push” by Sapphire
Push is a story about a teenage girl, Claireece Precious Jones, who has been impregnated twice by her father and later learns she has contracted AIDS from him. She longs to be in school and learn despite her circumstances. A teacher takes Precious under her wing and helps her become literate and process her own emotions and traumatic experiences through journaling. The book was adapted into the film “Precious” in 2009, which was rated R.
The book was initially challenged by Northview High School language arts teacher Vicki Baggett on Sept. 2, 2022 for its graphic sexual content. Baggett stated she thinks the purpose of the book is sexual introduction. The District Committee made a decision on Feb. 28, 2023 to keep the book in high school libraries. There were four committee members that supported keeping the book in high school libraries, while one committee member voted to remove the book from all school libraries.
Students react: ‘I am embarrassed to be a student in Escambia County.’ District bans 3 more books.
Take a deeper look: Escambia schools review two books that explore sexual abuse
The committee decided that the book is appropriate for a more mature audience, such as 11th- and 12th-graders, as some students in the district are in a similar situation as the book’s narrator.
Baggett submitted an appeal to the school board over the committee’s decision on March 10, 2023.
“Lucky” by Alice Sebold
Lucky is an autobiographical story of the author’s rape as a freshman at Syracuse University that occurred while she was walking home from a party. She was then tasked with adjusting back to college life after what had happened to her, eventually encountering her alleged rapist again, leading to his arrest. The man was found guilty but later exonerated.
The book was initially challenged by Baggett on Sept. 2, 2022 for its graphic sexual content, violence and language. The District Committee made a decision on March 6, 2023 to keep the book in high school libraries with a 3-2 vote.
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Despite the violent acts committed in the book, the committee found merit in empowering women to share their stories of sexual assault.
Baggett submitted an appeal to the school board over the committee’s decision on March 30, 2023, stating that the book is in violation of FS 847.012 of offering obscene and pornographic material to minors.
What happens after a book is challenged?
Once a book is requested for reconsideration, the book is reviewed by the District Materials Review Committee. The people that make up the committee varies for each book to include a diverse group of opinions and experiences, and there is currently a waitlist for certain roles. The committee reads the book, cover to cover, not solely the sections in question.
All meetings for the committee’s discussion can be observed by the public and are posted on the district’s school calendar on its website.
The committee comes to decision on whether the book should be allowed for all grade levels in the district, certain grade levels, or none at all.
Previous meeting: Escambia School Board votes to keep 4 challenged books after 7+ hours of debate
Once the committee places their vote, the decision is sent to the person who made the initial reconsideration request. If unsatisfied with the committee’s decision, an appeal is made, and the issue then goes before the school board.
Each board member has access to the book in questions, the committee’s notes and decision, professional reviews of the books including any awards or recognition it has received and the complaints made against it.
The board holds a public forum to hear input from the community to help inform their decision.
A full list of reconsiderations can be accessed on the Escambia County Public Schools website under the Media Services tab under “Reconsideration of Educational Media.”
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Book ban Florida: Escambia schools discuss 2 books being challenged
