The Escambia County School Board unanimously voted to remove banned and challenged books from school media centers at a June 17 regular board meeting.
The action came about as a result of Kevin Adams’s list of proposed recommendations to other board members at morning workshop June 16. The recommendations include the school board directing Escambia County Public Schools Superintendent Keith Leonard to:
The proposal also recommends that books on the FDOE’s removal list and local challenges require school board approval before being returned to media centers.
The board also unanimously voted to remove 15 books recommended by Leonard that were classified as adult novels that “contain graphic descriptions and depictions of sexual conduct which are not appropriate for minors in Escambia County Public Schools.”
Three other books – identified as pornographic by State Attorney General James Uthmeier – were recommended for removal by Leonard as well. Uthmeier had already directed the removal of the books from Hillsborough County Public Schools.
“This is not an 80-20 issue, it’s a 90-10 issue. No parent wants someone else to indoctrinate their child or introduce their child to obscene, pornographic, age-inappropriate content,” Adams said of his recommendations during discussion of the matter at the board workshop.
“This is a nonpartisan issue – nonpartisan. I don’t care if it’s a Democrat mom, an NPA (non-political affiliation) mom or a Republican mom. They want to know when they go to our schools, their child won’t accidentally be introduced to something they don’t approve of.”
The proposed recommendations stemmed from a May incident in Hillsborough County Public Schools where hundreds of books were taken out of circulation after letters from two state officials ramped up pressure on district officials.
In a letter, Uthmeier asked the Hillsborough County School Board for the “immediate removal” of materials he referred to “patently pornographic.” The Hillsborough County school district also received a letter from Florida Board of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. asking Hillsborough County Public Schools Superintendent Van Ayres to tell the state board next month in Miami “why you continue to allow pornographic materials in your school libraries.”
Florida had more books challenged for removal than any other state. Nearly 2,700 titles were targeted for restriction or removal in Florida schools and public libraries, according to 2024 data released by the American Library Association.
Escambia County led the charge with more than 1,600 books removed as of December 2023, according to The Florida Freedom to Read Project, which published a list of books removed from Escambia County Public Schools’ library shelves. The school board also faces two different lawsuits over removing books from its school libraries.
The district’s book challenge review spreadsheet currently has around 235 unresolved challenges. The district has resolved about 25: two books have been retained, nine have been removed and 14 have been restricted to specific grade levels.
Other board members and Leonard were supportive of Adams’ recommendations and wanted other items added. However board attorney Ellen Odom said those would be policy changes that would require more time.
Paul Fetsko said he would reach out to Rep. Michelle Salzman about having the state government stop “the influx of inappropriate books” coming into Florida schools.
“The state can nip this in the bud. Nothing comes in unless ordered by media center specialists,” Fetsko said.
Carissa Bergosh and Tom Harrell also agreed that books that have been reviewed by other Florida school districts be removed from Escambia schools.
Harrell also suggested several changes in school district policy such as holding coordinators and media specialists accountable and requiring they certify – by signature – that purchases do not contain illicit sexual content.
“Sexually-explicit material does not need to be in our schools – period. And I would like to include on any policy that we write the following: ‘It is the intent of this board that there should be no sexually explicit content in instructional materials, supplemental materials, library center books or reading lists,’” Harrell added.
David Williams, board chair, said the board’s action could solve this problem for years.
“If we get this right this time, we prevent this from being a problem in our district for decades to come. We want what is best for the students in Escambia County and accountability as well,” he said.
Adams said his recommendations were based on actions taken by other Florida public school districts including Hillsborough, Orange and Alachua counties.
“This is a statement I made. It’s kind of short but it tells other stakeholders, citizens and Tallahassee where we sit,” Adams said about the recommendations.
“This will show to the state that we are serious – even if some get in. We’ve got to do everything possible to prevent putting children at risk and undermining parental rights in that process.”
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia School Board votes to eliminate all ‘pornographic’ books without further review
Reporting by Mary Lett, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
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