Book Removals

Scholastic created a separate fair category for diverse books, which it says is to help schools navigate the complexities of book bans. Librarians accused the company of caving to censorship.

Many attending the school board aired complaints about book removal aimed at adhering to a new state law.

The majority were pulled not because parents in the district had complained but because other school districts in Central Florida had taken issue with them.

This week on The Florida Roundup, we discuss how Florida schools have removed more books from public school libraries than any other state. Plus, a Florida Republican leads the charge to bring down the U.S. Speaker of the House. Wandering bears, a livestream of eagles and hazy skies from wildfires: we present wildlife stories throughout the state.

Judy Blume, James Patterson and Michael Connelly are among 24 prominent writers who have raised more than $3 million to help PEN America open a center in Miami and expand it efforts to counter Florida’s surge in book bannings in recent years.

Tallahassee Community College Professor Monte Finklestein described how the Nazis justified banning certain books and how they kept those books from the public.

Due to what many school officials are calling vague and expansive language, districts across the state are wrestling with how to comply with various education laws.

Charlotte County's superintendent and board lawyer told librarians at a meeting over the summer that a bill signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis requires the removal of any book that mentions LGBTQ+ issues, even those where a minor character is gay and is not explicit.

According to PEN America, during the 2022–23 school year, Florida's public schools banned more than 1,400 books across 33 school districts.

The number of bans and restrictions in the U.S. rose 33% in the last school year, according the the report. Florida had more bans than any other state.

Most of the scrutinized books were written by or contained subject matter about people of color or members of the LGBTQ+ community, according to research by the American Library Association.

Plant High School's review committee discussed the graphic novel "Blankets" by author Craig Thompson after a parent brought an objection to the school.