The state of Florida has the second-highest number of school-related book bans. There have been a total of 566 book bans across 21 Florida districts. Florida is led only by Texas which has recorded 801 book bans across 22 districts.
The 21 school districts in Florida with banned books include Brevard, Broward, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Hernando, Indian River, Jackson, Lake, Lee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach County, Pinellas, Polk, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Volusia and Walton.
The American Library Association, otherwise known as the ALA, has provided the three most common reasons for a book to be banned: the material contains language considered to be “sexually explicit,” the material contains “offensive language” and the material is “unsuited for any age group.” There has also been an increasing effort to ban books that contain LGBTQ+ content, religious viewpoints and political opinions.
Book banning can’t be attributed to just one group of people, but rather to dozens. It is often that the groups or organizations are comprised of parents that are arguing against books that they believe to be inappropriate for their children to read in school.
There are eight organizations that lead the book-banning movement. A few of those organizations include Moms for Liberty, US Parents Involved in Education, No Left Turn in Education and Parents’ Rights in Education. The groups have a common goal to empower students, parents and teachers to speak up against books that they don’t approve of in an attempt of having those specific books removed from public libraries and libraries within public schools. Members of these organizations want to protect the innocence and safety of children from harmful materials that are too mature for them.
My cousin is an author. A children’s picture book about a Hindu festival that celebrates dogs (people spoil their dogs, give them treats) has been banned in 2 Florida counties. Neither she nor her publisher were given an actual reason. She has a historical verse novel for kids sbout a young Cuban girl who wants to play the drums. Also banned.
I would like the actual name of book and author to be able to verify these facts.