banned books

Escambia County school leaders say they want to hasten decision-making while keeping final votes with the board.

In his ruling, the judge wrote the law "does not evaluate the work to determine if it has any holistic value" and "does not specify what level of detail 'describes sexual conduct.'"

Siding with publishers and authors, a federal judge Wednesday ruled that a key part of a 2023 Florida law that has led to books being removed from school library shelves is “overbroad and unconstitutional.”

The Escambia County School Board voted 5-0 to remove hundreds of books without review. The books in question come from the Florida Department of Education’s book removal list. This list is made of titles that have been eliminated from schools across the state. Classics such as “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou, “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes, and “Slaughterhouse Five” by Kurt Vonnegut are among the 400-plus books.

A federal appeals court Tuesday rejected an attempt to shield Escambia County School Board members from testifying in a long-running legal battle about removing or restricting access to books in school libraries.

The Escambia County School Board voted 5-0 Tuesday night to remove more than a dozen books without committee review.

With major publishing companies and authors arguing a 2023 state law violates First Amendment rights, a federal judge Friday refused to dismiss a lawsuit against members of the State Board of Education over the removal of school library books.

Reversing an October decision in a legal battle over access to books, a federal judge this week ruled that Escambia County School Board members must testify about the removal of books from school libraries because the officials are not shielded by what is known as “legislative privilege.”

Florida education leaders are trying to fend off a lawsuit filed by major publishing companies and authors over the removal of books from school libraries, disputing allegations that a controversial state law violates the First Amendment.

The list includes classics and newer favorites that were removed or discontinued in Florida K-12 schools during the 2023-2024 school year.