FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — A northeast Florida school district must return three dozen books to libraries as part of a settlement reached Thursday with students and parents who sued over what they said was an unlawful decision to limit access to dozens of titles with LGBTQ+ content.
Under the settlement, the Nassau County School Board must restore access to three dozen titles, including “And Tango Makes Three,” a children’s picture book based on a true story about two male penguins who raised a chick together at New York’s Central Park Zoo. Authors Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson were the plaintiffs in the suit against the district, which is located about 35 miles (about 60 kilometers) northeast of Jacksonville along the Georgia border.
The lawsuit was one of several challenges to book bans since state lawmakers passed them last year and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed them into law, legislation that makes it easier to challenge educational materials that opponents consider pornographic and obscene. Last month, six major publishers and several well-known authors filed a federal lawsuit in Orlando arguing that some provisions of the law violate the First Amendment rights of publishers, authors and students.
“Fighting unconstitutional legislation in Florida and across the country is an urgent priority,” Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster and Sourcebooks said in a statement.
Among the books removed in Nassau County were titles by Toni Morrison, Khaled Hosseini, Jonathan Safran Foer, Jodi Picoult and Alice Sebold.
Under the agreement, the school district agreed that “And Tango Makes Three” is not obscene, is appropriate for students of all ages and has instructional value.
“Students will once again have access to books by well-known and highly praised authors who represent a broad range of viewpoints and ideas,” Lauren Zimmerman, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, said in a statement.
Brett Steger, an attorney for the school district, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Banned in the usa the growing movement to censor books in schools
Table of Contents
Book Bans in Florida: A Growing Concern for Literary Freedom
In recent months, Florida has witnessed a surge in book bans, with a record high of 3,135 bans across 11 school districts [1]. This trend has sparked concerns about literary freedom, as books with LGBTQ+ content, sex education, and other topics are being removed from school libraries. In one notable case, a northeast Florida school district was forced to return three dozen books to libraries as part of a settlement reached with students and parents who sued over an unlawful decision to limit access to titles with LGBTQ+ content.
The controversy stems from a law signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, which makes it easier to challenge educational materials that opponents consider pornographic and obscene. However, critics argue that this law violates the First Amendment rights of publishers, authors, and students. In fact, six major publishers and several well-known authors have filed a federal lawsuit in Orlando arguing that some provisions of the law are unconstitutional [2].
The Nassau County School Board settlement is just one example of the many challenges to book bans in Florida. Under the settlement, the school board must restore access to three dozen titles, including “And Tango Makes Three,” a children’s picture book based on a true story about two male penguins who raised a chick together at New York’s Central Park Zoo. Authors Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson were the plaintiffs in the suit against the district.
The books removed in Nassau County included titles by renowned authors such as Toni Morrison, Khaled Hosseini, Jonathan Safran Foer, Jodi Picoult, and Alice Sebold. These authors, along with many others, are speaking out against the censorship of their work. In a statement, major publishers including Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster, and Sourcebooks asserted, “Fighting unconstitutional legislation in Florida and across the country is an urgent priority.”
The DeSantis administration has defended the law, arguing that it aims to prevent the distribution of “pornographic” material in schools. However, critics contend that this is a thinly veiled attempt to suppress LGBTQ+ content and sex education. As one report noted, “The only books that should be banned in Florida will be the ones containing ’pornography,’ referring to books about LGBTQ topics and sex education books” [3].
In response to the growing number of book bans, Gov. DeSantis has signed a new law limiting people who don’t have students in a school district to one challenge per month [2]. However, this measure is unlikely to stem the tide of censorship, as many see it as an attempt to further restrict access to certain materials.
The battle over book bans in Florida is far from over. As the state continues to grapple with the limits of literary freedom, it remains to be seen whether the voices of authors, publishers, and students will be heard. One thing is certain, however: the fight against censorship and literary suppression is an urgent priority for those who value the freedom to read and think critically.
Banned in the usa the growing movement to censor books in schools
Book Bans in Florida: A Growing Concern for Literary Freedom
In recent months, Florida has witnessed a surge in book bans, with a record high of 3,135 bans across 11 school districts [1[1]. This trend has sparked concerns about literary freedom, as books with
