The Florida school district in Escambia County has sparked controversy by removing over 2,800 books from its library, including standard dictionaries, in order to comply with a law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis. The law, HB 1069, permits residents to request the removal of any library book that contains depictions or descriptions of sexual conduct, regardless of whether the content is considered pornographic.
The controversial measure resulted in an unprecedented removal of books, leading to the closure of many school libraries at the start of the school year for reviews. Notable among the removed texts are reference books such as The American Heritage Children’s Dictionary, Webster’s Dictionary for Students, and Merriam-Webster’s Elementary Dictionary. The broad language of HB 1069 has led to the exclusion of these educational staples, as dictionaries contain definitions of terms related to sexual conduct. For instance, Merriam-Webster defines sex in explicit terms, which could be considered inappropriate for student access under the law.
The law expands the state’s controversial Don’t Say Gay law, extending the ban on discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity to all grade levels. H.B. 1069 also increases school board control over library collections and allows Florida parents to contest any books in school libraries, requiring the removal of challenged titles for review and specifying that content depicting or describing sexual conduct can be challenged.
The dictionaries define words like “sex” that describe “sexual conduct,” and their removal shows the danger of the law’s broad language.
The removal of dictionaries signifies the far-reaching impact of this legislation, which goes beyond what Governor DeSantis has previously described as a mission to eliminate “pornography and sexually explicit materials” from within “arms reach of our youngest kids.” The sheer volume of books withdrawn from circulation speaks volumes, as DeSantis had earlier claimed that no Florida district had removed more than 19 books, a figure starkly contradicted by the hundreds of titles shelved in Escambia County alone.
The large number of books removed from circulation is significant, as DeSantis had previously stated that no Florida district had taken out more than 19 books, a claim directly contradicted by the hundreds of titles shelved in Escambia County alone.The removal of dictionaries signifies the far-reaching impact of this legislation, which goes beyond what Governor DeSantis has previously described as a mission to eliminate “pornography and sexually explicit materials” from within “arms reach of our youngest kids.” The sheer volume of books withdrawn from circulation speaks volumes, as DeSantis had earlier claimed that no Florida district had removed more than 19 books, a figure starkly contradicted by the hundreds of titles shelved in Escambia County alone.
Amid the extensive withdrawn materials are eight distinct encyclopedias, two thesauruses, five editions of The Guinness Book of World Records, and biographies of influential figures such as Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey, Nicki Minaj, and Thurgood Marshall. Timeless works like Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl, The Adventures and the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, and Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile are also presently inaccessible to students in the district.
Judd Legum, author of the Popular Information newsletter, reported Wednesday that the Escambia County School District said the books that have been banned pending further investigation “may violate H.B. 1069,” which “gives residents the right to demand the removal of any library book that ‘depicts or describes sexual conduct,’ as defined under Florida law, whether or not the book is pornographic.”
“Rather than considering complaints, the Escambia County School Board adopted an emergency rule last June that required the district’s librarians to conduct a review of all library books and remove titles that may violate H.B. 1069,” Legum noted. “Each school in Escambia County has thousands of titles. As a result, many school libraries were closed at the beginning of the school year pending the completion of the review.”
In addition to Webster’s Dictionary & Thesaurus for Students and The American Heritage Children’s Dictionary, Escambia County is denying students access to biographies of former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the singer and songwriter Beyoncé, and talk show host Oprah Winfrey, according to a list obtained by the Florida Freedom to Read Project.
The list also features The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.
“The Escambia County School Board banned most of these books at the request of Vicki Baggett, a high school English teacher in the county,” Legum reported. “Baggett is responsible for hundreds of challenges in Escambia County and neighboring counties.”
PEN, Penguin Random House, and a group of authors teamed up with parents and students last year to file a lawsuit against Escambia County in federal court. They argued that the mass removal of books from school libraries violates the plaintiffs’ “rights to free speech and equal protection under the law.” A hearing in the case was set to take place on Wednesday, with Florida’s Republican attorney supporting Escambia’s school board.
Relevant articles:
– Florida school district removes dictionaries from libraries, citing law championed by DeSantis
– ‘No, This Is Not a Parody’: Florida School District Bans Dictionaries Under DeSantis Law
– Florida’s Book-Banning Crusade Has Found Its Next Target: Dictionaries
– School district bans the dictionary to comply with Ron DeSantis’s book-ban law