Florida’s department of education has released a list of more than 700 books that were “removed or discontinued” from schools across the state after changes to a state law last year that allows parents and residents to challenge the content of library books.
This year’s list, which has doubled in size from last year, includes titles such as Beloved by Toni Morrison, Normal People by Sally Rooney, and Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.
The list comes after House Bill 1069 went into effect last July, requiring school districts to set up a mechanism for parents to object to anything they consider pornographic or inappropriate.
Since then hundreds of titles have been removed from elementary, middle and high school libraries. In Florida, 33 out of about 70 school districts banned books.
American classics such as Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain are among those that have been pulled. Contemporary novels by bestselling authors such as Margaret Atwood and Stephen King have also been removed.
Members of the Florida Freedom to Read Project, a group comprised of public school parents, said the measure has led to an unprecedented rise in censorship, mostly driven by conservative interest groups, and has limited students’ access to diverse literature.
“We believe in a fair, thorough, and public objection process that ensures decisions reflect the needs of each school community - not the broad, district-wide censorship we see today that’s inspired by the vague language in HB 1069 and ‘bad book’ lists like this one,” the group said in a statement.
“Censorship is happening right here in Florida. Lists like this that include award-winning, classic literature and books about banning books cannot be spun or shoved into a narrative about extremely targeted removals,” they added.
PEN America found that Florida and Iowa recorded the highest number of book bans during the 2023-2024 school year, leading in the country with over 4,500 book bans in Florida and over 3,600 in Iowa. These bans have cost districts about $34,000 to $135,000 a year.
A study on educational censorship in Florida found a “climate of compliance, fear and stress” that threatens students’ academic performance and the well-being of both teachers and students”.
A spokesperson for Florida’s department of education told The Associated Press that there no books were being banned in Florida and defended the state’s push to remove “sexually explicit materials” from schools.
“Once again, far left activists are pushing the book ban hoax on Floridians. The better question is why do these activists continue to fight to expose children to sexually explicit materials,” said spokesperson Sydney Booker .
Multiple school districts in Florida have drawn legal challenges for restricting students’ access to books. Escambia county, Florida, was sued in January after removing dictionaries, encyclopaedias, and other books due to content that was deemed to depict “sexual conduct”.
With Associated Press
