Book Removals

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.

Iris Mogul wanted a place to talk about James Baldwin and Toni Morrison, but she didn't know many people her age who read for pleasure. So she started her own club — for reading banned books.

St. Petersburg woman sets up shop in Sarasota with a selection of “anything that they don't want you to read in school."

Of the bans targeting picture books, about three-quarters are books that address LGBTQ+ themes and roughly half mention race, PEN America says.

State education officials on Wednesday approved two measures that spell out new processes in which special magistrates could hear disputes about issues such as parents' objections to school-library books.

Ron DeSantis' educational policies have faced wide criticism, but they also have paid off politically.

The Escambia County School Board, covering the Pensacola area, urged a federal judge to toss out a lawsuit filed by authors, a publishing company, parents and a non-profit organization challenging the removal or restriction of books in school libraries.

School district board members said state law governing the appropriateness of school instructional materials needs more clarity to be implemented. Additional guidance from the Florida Department of Education is expected on Aug. 23.

As a new school year begins, experts are worried about disruption due to Florida educational policy changes.