Book removals are increasing across U.S. school libraries — and Florida remains in the lead.
With about 4,500 book removals, the state topped the nation for the second year in a row. That's according to a report from PEN America, a nonprofit that advocates for free speech.
That means the state made up nearly half of all book removals nationwide in the 2023-24 school year.
In Florida, the increase in removals comes in response to state law that heightened scrutiny on materials containing inappropriate sexual conduct and mandated school districts develop a process for review and removal.
Other states have passed similar laws and policies. Since July 2021, PEN America recorded about 15,940 instances of book removals across 43 states.
The group counts books that were completely removed, taken out pending investigation and restricted by grade level.
Determining what books should be removed under the Florida law has caused confusion among school leaders.
And advocates have criticized the law's vagueness, causing districts to remove books "en masse" in fear of violating the mandate.
In Escambia County, about 1,500 books were pulled last year. Orange County removed nearly 700.
Raegan Miller is a Pinellas County parent and volunteer with the Florida Freedom to Read Project, which tracks book removals across the state.
She said she's worried that record book removals are slowly eroding the quality of her children's education.
"When people send their kids to public schools, they expect them to get this robust education," she said. "But we're seeing books being weeded."
PEN America's analysis of book removals show that they overwhelmingly affect books that talk about race, racism, LGBTQ+ people, gender identity and sexuality.
Chilling effect continues to be a top concern
Miller pointed out that teachers are also removing books from classroom libraries preemptively out of fear.
"Books are being quietly removed because (teachers) feel like they violate the laws or sometimes even boards are overturning committees' decisions because they were scared that books violate the law," said Miller.
School districts generally have school-level committees that review book challenges. Those committee decisions can be appealed and reviewed at the district level.
The act of quiet removal came up in New York University Professor Hirokazu Yoshikawa's research on Florida's education policies as well.
Yoshikawa, who teaches applied psychology, analyzed surveys and interviews with Florida teachers and parents.
"Because the threat here is that teachers could be fired, I think what happened instead was a lot of quiet removal of entire collections that go beyond lists of books that have formally been banned," said Yoshikawa.
And in many of these cases, parents were unaware of these restrictions, found the study.
"Teachers avoided books with any content on 'LGBTQ+' and 'racism' with concerns that they might be unauthorized," was another key finding.
PEN America's report also highlights the issue, using the term "soft censorship."
"Soft censorship is when fears of real censorship may cause educators and librarians, school administrators, and school boards to self-censor or suppress speech well beyond what may have been banned or prohibited," the report states.
Ultimately, Miller said that the state's education policies have made her reconsider if staying in Florida is the right choice for her kids.
"I think it's going to be a test of time, because who's going to want to come teach here?" said Miller, "I'm not saying there aren't teachers that are staying and keeping up, but how are they going to continue to attract the best teachers that believe in a robust education and believe in critical thinking if you can only present one side of a story?"
