Florida leaders send letter to Hillsborough Schools demanding certain books deemed inappropriate be removed
The Brief
The Hillsborough School District came under fire after the Florida attorney general demanded certain books the state deemed inappropriate be removed from libraries.
Uthmeier sent a letter addressed to Hillsborough school board members, identifying several books he considered "pornographic."
This comes after Florida's education commissioner sent a letter to Hillsborough Schools' superintendent last week, identifying two books he considers inappropriate.
TAMPA, Fla. - The Hillsborough County School District came under fire this week after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier demanded certain books the state deemed inappropriate be removed from school libraries.
Big picture view
Uthmeier sent a letter addressed to Hillsborough school board members. In it, Uthmeier identified several books he considers "pornographic" and wrote that the materials should be immediately removed.
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"You should undertake an immediate review of your current collection to remove any additional harmful, sexualized content that has errantly been presented to students," Uthmeier wrote. "Your obligations under the constitution, state statute, and your own policies demand it. And so do I. I will monitor your actions to determine whether formal legal action by my office is warranted."
The backstory
This comes after Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz sent a letter to Hillsborough Schools Superintendent Van Ayres last week, identifying two books he considers inappropriate, but available in some high school libraries: 'Call Me By Your Name' and 'Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts).'
Diaz ordered the superintendent to attend the upcoming Florida Board of Education meeting and explain why the materials are still on bookshelves. Uthmeier identified several additional materials that he believes should be removed.
READ: Hillsborough County Public Schools wins 'U.S. District of the Year' award
What they're saying
Julie Gebhards, a parental rights advocate who has worked with Moms for Liberty, applauded the move. She said she's been sharing what she considers inappropriate content from books in question on her social media accounts to try to bring attention to them.
"I'm really grateful and for just the accountability that comes when someone like the attorney general of Florida is writing to your district, and you know, leaning in saying, why aren't you doing anything about this?" said Gebhards. "This is a violation of the law. That is traction that we need desperately so that we can protect these kids from really awful content."
Anti-censorship advocates, including the Florida Freedom to Read Project, meanwhile, believe this is an overreach by the state.
"This is now the third attempt from somebody at the state to pressure books off the shelves against those in the community. None of these books have faced formal objections. None of them have gone through a committee review process," said Stefana Ferrell, with the Freedom to Read Project. "Every community should get to decide its standards. Based on the needs and interests of the students and the socioeconomic needs of the community."
MORE: Why student loan delinquencies are soaring - and credit scores are dropping
The other side
In a response letter to Diaz that the district provided to FOX 13 on Friday, Ayres outlined the actions taken. The superintendent wrote he directed the Library Media Services department to remove from all schools the books identified by the state as inappropriate. He also directed the department to place "under review" any other title the state has included on lists of potentially questionable material.
Ayres also outlined potential policy changes to ensure the district is in compliance with state standards and statutes.
The Hillsborough school district has previously said it follows state law regarding book challenges and allows any community member to do so. The books are then subject to reviews by a school committee, the school board and potentially the state.
The Source
The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Aaron Mesmer.
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