By Edisleibys Cuesta
In a hearing on Wednesday, January 10th, 2024, a significant legal development, a federal lawsuit, emerged against the Escambia County School Board in Florida. The lawsuit centered around the removal of numerous controversial books from its shelves.
According to NBC Miami News, the Florida Department of Education released a list of all the books removed from school library shelves last year. The list shows that Florida saw a total of roughly 300 book removals, most of which impacted Clay County, Jacksonville.
PEN America, tracking school book bans, supports literary freedoms with 7,500 writing professionals, including affected authors. PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans revealed that Florida has one of the highest rates of book removals and restrictions in the country. These removals include books such as I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, by Erika L. Sánchez, and Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson.
A federal judge ruled against a Florida Panhandle school district’s removal of books about race and LGBTQ+ identities from library shelves. The defendant claimed the books were removed due to objections from a language arts teacher, with the school board voting against recommendations from a review committee that found them educationally suitable.
According to an article by The Hill, PEN America, along with others who were affected by the ban, first sued the Escambia County School Board in May, after the school removed hundreds of books from its shelves for investigation.
“These books need to be returned to the shelves where they belong, and every day that students are refused access is a day they’re not getting the high-quality education they deserve,” said Katie Blankenship, director of PEN America in Florida.
The federal lawsuit against the Escambia County School Board in Florida sheds light on the removal of controversial books, sparking a legal battle amid concerns about restrictions on literary freedoms. Florida with one of the highest rates of book removals faces inspection as PEN America fights for the return of the books to shelves.
This lawsuit brings a new change to educational resources as well as new information the children of today couldn’t access before due to the book bans. As the case moves forward, there will be a focus on the broader issue of book bans, mainly those addressing race and LGBTQ+.
