Florida School District Reviews Over 1,600 Books, Including Dictionaries, Under New State Law

PEN America and others file lawsuit against the district, arguing the move is an overextension of the law.

The Escambia County school district in Florida has pulled over 1,600 books, including five dictionaries and eight encyclopedias, from its library shelves for review under a new state law that targets content that 'depicts or describes sexual conduct'.
The books, which also include 'The Guinness Book of World Records' and 'Ripley’s Believe it or Not', are being reviewed for compliance with HB 1069, a bill approved by Gov. Ron DeSantis that also requires schools to teach that 'reproductive roles are binary, stable and unchangeable' and limits education regarding sexual health.
The district has denied that the books have been banned, stating they have been pulled for further review to ensure compliance with the new legislation.
PEN America and the Florida Freedom to Read Project have criticized the move, arguing that it is a 'massive overextension of the language of the law' and that the books should be returned immediately.
PEN America, along with publisher Penguin Random House, authors and parents, has filed a lawsuit against the district over its removals, which a judge has ruled can move forward under the First Amendment.