#RECENTLY BANNED BOOK FREE#

So why have so many books been removed from schools and libraries? Large majorities of Americans oppose book bans - at least 70% of both Democrats and Republicans, according to one poll. While the dozens of books made it back onto library shelves, those that mainly focused on gender identity or sexual orientation are now restricted to grades four and above.Ĭhaz Stephens, a Deerfield Beach resident who said he is an archbishop with the First Church of Mars, sent a request to ban the Bible from 62 Florida school districts in response to HB 1467. In anticipation of the new laws, the Palm Beach School District pulled and reviewed 31 books in addition to other learning materials to make sure they were complying with the new laws. On March 28, DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education bill, dubbed the 'Don't Say Gay' bill by critics, that prohibits school instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. Ron DeSantis approved House Bill 1467, which gives parents and members of the public increased access to the process of selecting and removing school library books and instructional materials. In Florida, many of the bans have been accelerated by the passing of new laws that have emboldened parents and community members to speak out against library materials. The wave picked up momentum last fall when activists and conservative policymakers intent on reforming curricula began focusing much of their energy on books. The critical race theory backlash morphed into a broader push to eschew conversations about LGBTQ+ issues from classrooms. The legislative efforts were fueled by Republican resistance to so-called “critical race theory,” a graduate-level legal concept that examines how racism continues to permeate policy and society. More than two dozen states already had begun considering - and in some cases passing - legislation to restrict discussions about race, sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms. PEN describes the recent spate of efforts to restrict books as an “evolving censorship movement.” While the tensions leading up to it had been percolating for a while, the current trend can be traced back in part to last year. It's all part of a 'full-fledged' movement.Īlso: Sanibel Public Library draws some parents' ire for Pride Month book displayīook bans: Here are the 5 Pride Month books challenged at the Sanibel Public Library

Take a look: Schools banned books 2,532 times since 2021. When did the current wave of book challenges start? That movement, according to PEN, has been powered by at least 50 activist groups as well as politicians who have pressured or chilled schools into restricting children’s access to certain books. “Over the 2021-22 school year, what started as modest school-level activity to challenge and remove books in schools grew into a full-fledged social and political movement,” PEN writes. The trend’s proponents have also gotten more savvy – and more creative – in their book challenging strategies. More students losing access to literature.” “‘More’ is the operative word for this report,” PEN writes, comparing the latest analysis to the preliminary one. The unprecedented trend escalated throughout the spring and into the summer, according to PEN, which in the spring published a preliminary report documenting 1,586 book bans nationwide during the nine months starting in July 2021. PEN America: Here are the 411 books banned in Florida school libraries and classroomsīook Bans: List of books challenged in schools tracked by Florida Freedom to Read ProjectĪnd: PEN America: Here are the 30 books banned in Lee County Schools libraries and classrooms Over the past year or so, books were banned at least 2,500 times by more than 130 school districts across 30-plus states, according to the analysis. 'These are not just individual complaints about books that parents are complaining about because their children are bringing them home,' Friedman said. 'Overwhelmingly, we are seeing people Google ‘what books have LGBTQ content whatsoever,’ even just a book that has an illustration of a same-sex interracial couple gets thrown onto one of these lists and ends up banned in some districts in Florida.” 19 briefing the trends show book bans are a targeted effort.

Jonathan Friedman, report author and PEN America's director of free expression and education programs, said in a Sept. Texas was the only state with more bans at 801 across 22 districts. There are 566 book bans within 21 Florida school districts, according to the analysis.

#RECENTLY BANNED BOOK FREE#

Watch Video: Banned books: What a new wave of restrictions could mean for studentsįlorida has the second highest number of school-related book bans in the country, according to an analysis published last week by PEN America, a free speech and literary organization.

Recently banned book