Hillsborough classrooms remove additional books following state pressure on educational content.

A significant development has occurred in Hillsborough County, where over 600 books have been withdrawn from circulation in local classrooms. This action follows mounting pressure from state officials, ignited by a letter from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. In his correspondence, Uthmeier urged the Hillsborough County School Board to immediately remove materials he denounced as “patently pornographic.”

Uthmeier’s letter reiterates concerns previously expressed by Florida Board of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, who has been advocating for a review of instructional materials within academic institutions. In a letter dated May 9, Diaz called upon district Superintendent Van Ayres to explain to the state board in Miami why these controversial materials remain accessible to students.

Among the titles flagged by Uthmeier were “Call Me By Your Name” by Andre Aciman and “Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts)” by Lev A.C. Rosen, both previously available in several high school libraries. Other works scrutinized included “What Girls Are Made Of” by Elana K Arnold and “Beautiful” by Amy Reed, which had been accessible in middle schools, along with additional titles that faced criticism for their content.

In a response to the scrutiny, Ayres confirmed that all the mentioned titles, along with five others, have already been removed, emphasizing a commitment to review all materials listed by the state for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years. He stated that this measure is being taken despite a lack of objections raised within the district, highlighting a cautious approach to the ongoing debate over educational materials.

Hillsborough County’s school district attorney, Jim Porter, disclosed that since 2022, the district has removed approximately 389,073 books from its extensive collection of over 2 million volumes. The district plans to actively continue reviewing its library collections and is considering policy changes to enhance the selection process and evaluate materials more rigorously.

The Florida Freedom to Read advocacy group, co-directed by Stephana Ferrell, estimates that around 622 book titles have been impacted by the state’s recent directives. Ferrell described this series of events as indicative of alarming state overreach. Historically, Hillsborough County maintained a process for addressing material objections at the school level, but this latest intervention by state officials has raised significant concerns regarding autonomy in educational decision-making.

Moreover, Ferrell criticized the state’s stance as contradictory. She noted that while the state has maintained that the controversial law regulating library materials does not outright ban books, the application of such regulations at the district level undermines the very intent of local decision-making processes.

As this situation unfolds, it remains clear that the intersection of education, parental rights, and state oversight will continue to be a topic of heated discussion, with potential implications for how school libraries curate their collections moving forward.