Book stack – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by jakkaje879
According to a recent report issued Friday, the Sunshine State had the highest number of school book bans nationwide for the 2023–24 academic year.
The free speech organization PEN America reported that 4,561 book bans occurred in Florida public school districts during the previous academic year, making up around 45 percent of all book bans nationwide.
The newspaper attributed the bans to HB 1069, a Florida law passed in 2023. The legislation extended the Parental Rights in Education law, which detractors nicknamed “don’t say gay,” and scrutinized any book that contained “sexual conduct.” For fear of breaking the law, Orange County Public Schools took about 700 books out of classrooms in 2023. Teachers throughout the state eliminated books they were concerned would no longer meet state requirements, including picture books like “No, David!” and Ernest Hemingway masterpieces.
PEN America discovered During the previous school year, Florida also set the national record for book bans. According to the report, there were over 10,000 book bans nationwide during the previous academic year, and 4,200 distinct titles were prohibited this year.
A request for comment on the study was not answered by the Florida Department of Education. Although he acknowledged that few “bad actors” had turned book banning into a political issue, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis branded the practice a “big hoax.”
The actual number of books taken out of Florida schools is probably far higher than PEN America’s count, according to Stephana Ferrell, an Orange mother who co-founded the Florida Freedom to Read Project. This is because some administrators and teachers covertly removed books they believed violated state law, self-censoring even if no one objected to the titles.
Ferrell claimed that “HB 1069 really paved an easy path for censorship.” When the state responds, “No, that’s not happening,” she continued, “the idea of what should be available for our children is being trampled underfoot, ignored, and dismissed.” “Gaslighting is frequently used, but really, come on.”
According to the research, materials taken out of schools disproportionately discuss novels with sex-related content, persons and characters of color, LGBTQ+ individuals and characters, and race and racism. It further stated that representations of substance addiction, sorrow, and mental health were frequently found in the books that were deleted.
According to the report, book bans in Florida cost districts anywhere from $34,000 to $135,000 annually.
“Any action taken against a book based on its content and as a result of parent or community challenges, administrative decisions, or in response to direct or threatened action by lawmakers or other governmental officials, that leads to a previously accessible book being either completely removed from availability to students, or where access to a book is restricted or diminished,” is how the organization defines a book ban.
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Melissa’s career in writing started more than 20 years ago. Today, she lives in South Florida with her husband and two boys.
