The FLDOE is set to approve amendments which include references to HB 7 (Stop WOKE) in course requirements for teacher education programs and the Phoenix Declaration in professional responsibilities. You can leave a public comment now through the meeting on the 22nd. flrules.org/gateway/View...

“But the people devoted to text, who derive cultural understanding and intellectual connection from the written word, are now part of a subculture. The fact that you are reading this article almost certainly makes you a member of it.”

“Maybe one solution is to weed them more aggressively because overwhelmingly these books have never been checked out or checked out only a couple of times.” - Roger Dailey, Chief Academic Officer

Ideas thrown out during the meeting: - Remove all fiction from HS shelves and slowly approve their return over the next 4-5 years - Remodel HS libraries into workspaces teens may actually use (because they aren’t reading anyway) - Don’t buy books from “problematic” authors (clipped here)

Clay County Schools updated their objection tracking this week. 73 objections were filed this month (tied to one man). 69 of the titles were removed or restricted. Example: Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul (ages 9-13) was restricted to High School shelves.

The Northwest region of FL includes Escambia and Santa Rosa. Here, the main objector uses power of attorney to get around filing restrictions on non-parents. Santa Rosa updated its policy to allow leadership to immediately remove books after objection despite the law calling for a public review.

Two regions of the state have high censorship activity orchestrated by just two people (neither of them parents of current public school students). Northeast FL: Duval has new challenges to books by Stephen King and @jodipicoult.bsky.social (plus a few others). Clay’s includes a lot of A.S. King.

If you would like an easy way to tell Congress that you oppose this bill, our friends at @everylibrary.bsky.social made it really easy: action.everylibrary.org/hr7661 Join all of these orgs in taking a stand against government censorship.

We’re proud to join with so many other organizations across the country to oppose H.R. 7661 - a bill that diminishes our right to share and receive ideas in our publicly-funded libraries free from viewpoint-based government censorship.

The article below covers the nine practices identified to enhance the local literacy landscape in Duval. Notably, in 2021 Duval invested in more diverse lit to better meet its diverse population - and then they pulled many of those books. Representation matters. jaxtoday.org/2026/04/03/j...

April is School Library Month, and today is School Librarian Day. Sadly, our state leaders stopped recognizing the month a few years ago, but we won’t let it go by. We are so grateful for the efforts our school librarians make to support every public school student (including our own)!

Clay County Public Schools posted the outcomes of their March meeting of the oversight committee. Most of the books were further restricted which means they will likely face appeal by the objector that wants them removed completely. See the outcomes here: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Happy Sunshine Week! This week we celebrate the importance of our elected officials being required by law to operate in the Sunshine, and we encourage everyone to support efforts that help shine a light in some pretty dark places.

With 21 States’ Attorneys General signing onto Florida’s “libraries are government speech” argument, it’s more important than ever to pass legislation nationally in support of the Freedom to Read. Here are two bills to write your Congressperson and Senator about:

STOP H.R. 7661 Floridians already know what a vague and punitive censorship bill like this one will mean for our libraries, students, and communities. A national bill like this accepts that the First Amendment doesn’t apply to our publicly-funded libraries. Do you accept that? We don’t.

While CDF is pushing legal action against Polk, they continue to grossly impact what’s on the shelf in Nassau. 1 - new objection 6 - restricted to grades 9-12 w/ additional parent permission 14 - permanently removed Our state tracking updated weekly: www.fftrp.org/florida_cens...

Polk County Schools started using this form after CDF filed their lawsuit in an effort to appease the plaintiffs. However, even with this misrepresentation of the law, committees continue to retain access to books facing CDF objection like “A Gathering of Old Men.” That’s why CDF wants HB 1119.

Here’s what the statute actually states. If the material is found to be pornographic or “harmful to minors” (violating 847.012), it must be discontinued. If it’s found to be II-IV (including containing “sexual conduct”), it must be restricted to where it is age/grade appropriate to offer access.

And here is the final “Acknowledgment” section where committee members are asked to sign. Directly above it, you will see the “harmful to minors” definition, but notice how it isn’t referenced as a criteria in the final acknowledgment. Instead, it wrongly states any “sexual conduct” is prohibited.

So, what is on the acknowledgment form exactly? Here is the top section of the form. It looks as if it quotes from statute, but it misses the “harmful to minors” reference in the first bullet and instead assigns it to the latter two objection criteria.

In this and other depositions in the Polk case, the district’s use of an “Acknowledgment Form” for review committee members comes up. Here, a district employee is asked about the guidance given to committee members about the form and they need for them to sign it.

Tomorrow, the 2024 CDF lawsuit accusing Polk Schools of not following its policy or the law when it comes to book challenges will finally have a court hearing. Here are some excerpts from the deposition with CDF’s “Faith Director” and one of the main book objectors.

While they tried to convince you it wasn’t book banning, they argued you never had a right to receive ANY ideas in the library (unless they endorse them) before the courts.

HB 31 also passed the House, but this bill had more support from the minority party. Prohibiting the purchase of literature referencing the “West Bank” would stop school librarians from ordering new copies of Raegan’s autobiography, “An American Life” and non-fiction like “Forged in Freedom.”

We knew HB 1119 would pass the House after they voted down any opportunity to clarify the vague language to portect access to celebrated works of literature. www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill...

If HB 31 becomes law this year, History textbooks like this one will get another mandatory sticker on the cover to explain why the state of Florida has prohibited the term “West Bank” in favor of “Judea and Samaria.” Meanwhile, the legislature is unlikely to pass the voucher accountability bill.

HB 31 will also be on the House floor the same day. This is a bad bill that will lead to viewpoint-based censorship in our school libraries for no other reason than a failure to adopt the state’s prescribed language.

Here’s another example of how the rubric is intended to work. The main objector submitted this content as proof that the book “Becoming Brianna” should be removed from the library. The district decided to restrict it to grades 7+, and the objector appealed. The district decided to retain at 7+.

That updated rubric isn’t the only concern in Clay. Students cannot check out ANY books until the district has verified all required monthly removal/restrictions have been processed by the school’s media specialist. Clay continues to be the most active censorship district in the state.

HB 1071 allows the Commissioner to reject use of all textbooks by a specific publisher for up to five years. Coincidentally, this new Committee bill, SB 7036 allows districts to purchase materials produced by the FLDOE “at any time.” You know, in case they need it. www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill...