Riccardo Liguori Florida schools face an unprecedented wave of censorship: more than 700 books banned, including classics and contemporary works, under new laws. The repercussions affect education, culture and civil rights
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Florida remains at the vortex of a contentious cultural and political debate, as upwards of 700 books have been taken off the shelves. The list includes bestsellers such as Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale, Stephen King’s The Stand, and Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club; these are the results of the new state laws directed toward the guidance of school library materials.
The controversy centers around HB 1069, a law passed in July 2023, allowing parents and citizens to protest materials considered “pornographic” or “inappropriate.” While the state government claims it is protecting minors, critics believe the law creates a climate of censorship, threatening cultural diversity and the right to education.
Context
Indeed, according to the Florida Department of Education, HB 1069 requires schools to remove controversial materials in response to concerns from parents worried about inappropriate content. Sydney Booker, a department spokesperson, said: “There have been no book bans in Florida. Our priority is removing explicitly sexual materials from schools“.
But look at the list of the books that had been removed, and one gets a different story. The listing includes not only sexually explicit works but also those on racism, gender identity, and African American history. These include J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, a memoir of what it is like to be a young Black girl in America’s racist 1930s.
According to the report, the instructional materials were either withdrawn or discontinued upon the objections raised by the parents or the local residents. The titles, authors, school levels, and the districts concerned are included in this report. According to Section 1006.28(2)(e) of Florida Statutes, it is the duty of the Department of Education to collect and disseminate such information in order to assist districts in reviewing educational materials in 2023-2024.
Critics speak out: “An unprecedented wave of censorship”
Groups such as the Florida Freedom to Read Project have denounced the surging tide of school censorship. The group declared in a statement that:
“We believe in a fair and public process, not district-level censorship inspired by vague laws and lists of ‘bad books’ like this.”
Hirokazu Yoshikawa, professor at New York University and co-author of a study on the effects of censorship policies said: “These restrictions cause collective harm, limiting access to learning opportunities and creating a climate of fear and stress for both students and teachers“.
Impact on students
New York University researchers interviewed more than 80 teachers, students, and parents for its study, which found a “chilling effect” in which discussions of various sensitive topics are avoided for fear of legal or social retribution.
For example, the usage of preferred pronouns and the sharing of personal information about gender identity have decreased significantly. As researchers point out, this tendency may affect students’ mental health because it denies them a safe and inclusive school environment.
A cultural and educational loss
This is where many teachers lament the erosion of school curricula: Works that tackle essential issues such as racism, immigration, and civil rights are being removed, thereby depriving the student community of critical tools with which to make important comprehensions of the modern world.
Yoshikawa said, “While educational policies should be expanding learning opportunities, these measures are narrowing them, affecting all students, not just those directly targeted.”
“This is not just a fight about books,” he said. “It is a fight about the future of education and democracy in this country.”
Broader Consequences of the Debate
It was an issue that might very well restructure the educational landscape in the US for decades to come, raising one essential question: Who gets to decide what is appropriate to read?
