Superintendent faces state board over Hillsborough book removals amid backlash at home
The Brief
Hillsborough Superintendent Van Ayres is in Miami on Wednesday, expected to explain to state education leaders why flagged books are still on school library shelves.
Ayres is facing criticism from parents, state officials, and his own school board over how he's handled the issue.
Nearly 600 titles have been pulled for review, far more than the state initially demanded.
MIAMI, Fla. - Hillsborough County Superintendent Van Ayres is expected to speak before the Florida Board of Education on Wednesday in Miami, defending his district's decision to temporarily remove hundreds of books from school libraries.
The backstory
The meeting comes after Education Commissioner Manny Diaz and Attorney General James Uthmeier raised concerns about "pornographic materials" in Hillsborough schools.
In response, Ayres said that not only were the titles mentioned in their letters removed, but nearly 600 other books flagged in other counties over the last two years were also pulled "out of an abundance of caution."
That move has sparked backlash not only from parents, but from school board members and educators who say the decision sidestepped normal procedures and lacked transparency.
Tensions flared during a packed school board meeting earlier this week, with more than a dozen speakers weighing in on the issue.
Some parents criticized the district for not acting sooner to remove explicit content. Others pushed back against the decision to pull critically acclaimed works, including Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye," Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," and a graphic novel version of Anne Frank's diary without first reviewing them locally.
Trisha Long, a parent of two current students in the district, criticized the move as being outside the normal process for book removal.
"In this case, we are in the dark," Long said. "There is no transparency about which titles are being reviewed, nor has the community been offered any opportunity to participate in the review process. As a parent, I find this concerning. Public school parents ought to be able to see what is being removed and to have a say in whether or not these books are inappropriate for our own children."
Ayres said he acted quickly to ensure no inappropriate material would remain when students return in the fall. "That's my ultimate responsibility," he told the board. "But I'll learn from this and do better moving forward."
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Dig deeper
Several board members said they were left in the dark, learning after the fact that the district had pulled hundreds of titles and responded to the state without first consulting them.
"I'm trying to process your lack of communication," board member Nadia Combs told Ayres, "the transparency, and also lack of knowledge and input from me with the attorney general letter coming out. When that attorney general came out, I had absolutely no knowledge of the response that came (on behalf of the board.)"
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Board Chair Jessica Vaughn said the district's move undermined trained media specialists on staff who already follow a legal review process and risk penalties if they fail to do their jobs properly.
"It's offensive to say you're protecting the community by removing books without proper review," Vaughn told the superintendent. The district is now paying certified media specialists $1,500 stipends to review the titles outside of normal work hours. The cost? As much as half a million dollars.
Ayres acknowledged that the current process isn't working. "Come August, I want to make sure all the books have been reviewed," he said.
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The Source
This story is based on public statements made during the Hillsborough County School Board meeting on June 2, and letters from the Florida Department of Education and Office of the Attorney General.
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