JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The number of books pulled from Duval County Schools shelves has more than doubled in recent months, and a national free expression group says the process raising those numbers deserves a closer look.
PEN America, which advocates for free expression, is raising concerns about the district’s internal book review process — separate from the 10 active formal book challenges the district is currently facing. According to News4Jax news partners at Jacksonville Today, the district’s own internal review has caused the list of not-approved books to more than double.
William Johnson, Florida Office Director for PEN America, said the lack of public oversight is at the heart of the problem.
“When you have an internal review, there’s no transparency,” Johnson said. “Did parents ask to get these books removed? Were there community members who asked to get these books removed? We don’t know because it’s an internal process without any transparency, and that does not speak to parental rights. And it’s particularly concerning that the books that were removed are established, important literary works of merit.”
What Duval County Schools says
In a statement to News4Jax, Duval County Schools confirmed that books had been removed from shelves outside of the 10 active book challenges. The district said the removals are part of a state-mandated review process.
“State law requires that all books in Florida public school libraries be reviewed by certified media specialists,” the district said. “Books may be determined not to meet state criteria through this required review process, which applies to all materials — not only those that are formally challenged.”
The district added that PEN America’s concerns appear to be directed at the state-required process itself — details of which are outlined on the district’s website.
‘Cutting off access to the folks who need it most’
Johnson said the removals have a disproportionate impact on students with limited access to books outside of school.
“It’s cutting off access to the folks who need it most,” Johnson said. “Folks who have trouble getting access now are being blocked from having access to ideas, to the beauty of the word, to literature, and that’s heartbreaking.”
Supporters of book challenges often argue that students can still access removed titles at public libraries, online retailers, or bookstores. Johnson pushed back on that reasoning.
“Every parent has the right to have oversight of what their children should read,” he said. “But does one parent or one group of parents decide for the community what the whole community should have access to without due process?”
In December the Duval County School Board updated its policy regarding challenged materials. You can learn more about that policy update here.