JACKSONVILLE, Florida. Two years after the surge in book bans in the United States, Florida has become a hotspot of conflict over what reading materials are appropriate for children, with laws that have greatly expanded the state’s ability to restrict books.

Historically, books have been challenged one at a time. As school and library bans began to ramp up across the country in 2021, the effort has been largely local, parent or group led. But over the past year, access to books, especially those about race, gender, or sexual orientation, has become increasingly politicized. Along with this, some states and school districts have seen an increase in statutes and regulations that have affected what books libraries can offer.

The shift is especially noticeable in Florida, where the governor is. Ron DeSantis, the Republican-controlled Legislative Assembly, and a rapidly growing network of conservative groups came together to pass three state laws last year aimed, at least in part, at reading or learning materials. Among the books withdrawn from circulation in one of the state’s school districts are Beloved by Toni Morrison and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.

The policy has energized Mr. DeSantis’ supporters and is part of the platform from which he is expected to run for president.

Proponents of the restrictions say the goal is to protect students from inappropriate material and give parents more control over their children’s education. By focusing on “parental rights,” Mr. DeSantis is trying to build on the popularity he built up when he resisted Covid-19 restrictions, especially in schools. The push is a characteristic part of the conservatism he displays in Florida. Its Parental Rights in Education Act, for example, restricts teaching about gender and sexuality, which has led some counties to withdraw books featuring LGBTQ characters.

Some teachers and librarians say the policy is vague, with vague wording and broad requirements, leading to some confusion. But they try to fit in. Breaking the law could be a third-degree felony; in general, such crimes are punishable by imprisonment for up to five years

In January, when the new rules went into effect, some teachers removed or covered up books that had not been reviewed by certified media professionals, whose approval is now required by law. Others do not order books that may cause complaints. Some professors emptied shelves or pulled out collections until the titles could be revalued.

“This is a whole new level of fear,” said Kathleen Daniels, president of the Florida Educational Media Association, a professional organization for school librarians and media educators. “There are books that weren’t selected because they completed the assignment.”

Florida is second only to Texas as the state with the most book seizures. according to the report published Thursday by free speech advocacy organization PEN America, which tracked book bans in schools from July 1 to December. 31 from 2022. But PEN said Florida’s sweeping statewide approach of “wholesale bans” that restricts access to “an incalculable number of books in classrooms and school libraries” makes it difficult to quantify the true extent of book seizures in the state. .

Many of the new restrictions stem from a law passed last year that requires trained media professionals to evaluate every school book to ensure it is age-appropriate and free of “pornographic” content. The law also requires schools to maintain an online searchable database of books in their libraries and classrooms.

The proposed law goes further. In March Florida House passed check it may require schools to remove the book immediately based on a single complaint from a parent or district resident that the book depicts sexual behavior. Under the proposed bill, the book will remain unavailable until the complaint is resolved.

Two other laws promote book bans in Florida schools. The Stop WOKE Act prohibits teaching that may cause students to feel guilty or responsible for the past actions of others of their race. The Parental Rights in Education Act prohibits classroom teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity in some elementary grades; government expansion expected restrictions up to 12th grade.

Efforts by Florida’s 67 public school districts to implement the new rules have been uneven and often chaotic. Some districts did not take any serious action. Others undertook a mass removal that essentially gutted the libraries.

Earlier this year, shortly after new rules for libraries were published in January, some areas quickly complied with them. In Duval County, where Jacksonville is located, the public school district has restricted access to more than a million titles, preventing students from accessing them until they are reviewed by experts. In Manatee County, on Florida’s Gulf Coast, some teachers have packed their classroom libraries in boxes or covered shelves. Martin County authorities on the state’s Atlantic coast seized about 150 books in January and February, including John Green’s Looking for Alaska and James Patterson’s Maximum Ride, a series of sci-fi adventure books for readers. ages 10 and over who were taken from elementary schools.

Mr. Patterson, who lives in Palm Beach, Florida, called the seizure of his books “frightening.”

“When you can take a hit series like ‘Maximum Ride’ and take it off the shelves,” he said, “it shows that no one is safe.” County unfolded sheet did not give a specific reason for the removal of the series.

The study materials media specialists advised them to think about how they would feel reading passages from the book in question aloud. “If you are not comfortable reading material in a public place,” the State Department of Education slideshow says, “then you should refuse to provide material in the school library for children.”

Jennifer Pippin leads the local chapter of Moms for Freedom in Florida and served on the Department of Education committee that helped develop educational materials. She said books removed from the state’s school libraries should not be considered “banned” because they remain available in public libraries and bookstores.

She said that young people in the school library might borrow a book containing a graphic rape scene because they liked other volumes in the same series. Or a child with an interest in penguins might open a book about a penguin family with two dads. But “it might not be right for them by their parents’ standards,” she said. “Without instructions or parental guidance, some of these things can actually be harmful.”

In January, the Duval County School District asked 54 county media professionals to begin screening more than 1.6 million titles. Primary school teachers were told that unapproved books should be covered or put aside.

ABOUT 25,000 books cleared the verification process as of the beginning of this month. The ongoing process has left more than 129,000 Duval County students with access to only a fraction of the titles available, critics say.

“Our books are under a shadow ban,” said Nina Perez, a Jacksonville resident and director of anti-restriction organization MomsRising. “They are mired in the administrative process.”

Tracey Pierce, a spokesperson for the Duval School District, said in an email last month that these actions followed the state Department of Education’s guidance. Classes should never have been left without reading materials, he said, as students still had access to approved books and collections. He acknowledged that “a small number of executives briefly closed or over-restricted” media centers and were advised to restore access.

Mr. DeSantis has responded aggressively to criticism over the ban on books in public schools. He dismissed news reports that Duval County Schools removed a headline about baseball player Roberto Clemente as a “joke”, accusing critics of “fabricating” the book ban story.

The book, which refers to the racism Mr. Clemente has faced, was removed and then reinstated in February after being reviewed. Last month, the state education commissioner named John Winter’s Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates Book of the Month for students in grades three through five.

At a press conference last month, Mr. DeSantis stood behind a sign that read “HOAX Book Ban Exposed” and said the state was trying to protect children from pornographic material. The event kicked off with a presentation of books that were reported to be seized in the county, including Gender Queer by Maya Kobabe and “Flamer”, Mike Curato — and highlighted scenes about sexual encounters and masturbation.

“This idea of ​​banning books in Florida, that books are somehow not needed in the library, is a hoax,” Mr. DeSantis said. “And it’s a really nasty hoax because it’s a hoax designed to desecrate and sexualize our children.”

Critics in the state are fighting back. In March, the human rights organization Democracy Forward filed lawsuit with the state on behalf of the Florida Education Association and other groups challenging the rules, alleging they censor educators, limit students’ access to books, and harm public education. Florida’s Reading Freedom Project staged a rally last month in Tallahassee with writers and free speech activists to protest censorship.

After Brian Covey, substitute teacher in Jacksonville, posted video in January empty library shelves at Duval County High School, a reporter asked Mr. DeSantis about it. The Governor called the video a “fake narrative”. Mr. Covey, who lost his job shortly thereafter, said he was concerned that Mr. DeSantis and the school district were trying to delegitimize what he documented.

The fact that they called it a false narrative, Mr. Covey said, “tells me they didn’t mean to say, ‘We made a mistake.’