LONGWOOD, Fla. — School districts across the state continue to review books to determine not only if they are age appropriate, but if they serve a purpose in public school libraries and/or classrooms.
According to Seminole County Public Schools, the district is 85% done reviewing a list provided by the Florida Department of Education of books that were removed or discontinued by one or more districts during the 2022-2023 school year.
Leslie Kirschenbaum has a 10th grade son that attends Lyman High School — she said she chooses to homeschool her two younger children rather than send them to a public school.
“They don’t have the resources available that are of quality for my child that is dyslexic,” she said. “And also, my autistic child.”
When it comes to teaching her two little ones, she says she can control what it is they are exposed to.
“I pick these books, because I look through them,” Kirschenbaum said, holding a book in her makeshift home classroom. “As a parent, I have first dibs, or knowledge, of what is inside of them.”
That is something she says she doesn’t entirely have for her older son.
“I don’t think it's right for a 15-year-old to be learning that the justice system protected them from killing their parents,” Kirschenbaum said. “That was '33 Snowfish' as an example of saying just that.”
The book "33 Snowfish" — written by Adam Rapp and published in 2003 — has been criticized by some for its violent and sexual themes.
In a listing on its website, the publisher, Candlewick Press, describes the book with the following statement:
On the run in a stolen car with a kidnapped baby in tow, Custis, Curl, and Boobie are three young people with deeply troubled pasts and bleak futures. As they struggle to find a new life for themselves, it becomes painfully clear that none of them will ever be able to leave the past behind. Yet for one, redemption is waiting in the unlikeliest of places.
With the raw language of the street and lyrical, stream-of-consciousness prose, Adam Rapp hurtles the reader into a world of lost children, a world that is not for the faint of heart. Gripping, disturbing, and starkly illuminating, his hypnotic narration captures the voices of two damaged souls — a third speaks only through drawings — to tell a story of alienation, deprivation, and ultimately, the saving power of compassion.
It was named one of the top 10 "Best Books for Young Adults" by the American Library Association in 2004.
Leslie, who is a founding member of the Seminole County Moms For Liberty chapter, regularly attends school board meetings. She said it’s been a goal of the local chapter since last year to challenge books they believe should not be available to any students in a school library or on a school campus.
District officials say 50 titles have been recategorized by age or grade, and 84 books have been discontinued.
Earlier this month the district sent a letter to the Seminole County Moms for Liberty following a request to remove more books from schools.
“The finding of the district level review is that each of the four books include content that, pursuant to the aforementioned statute, would be deemed as not being age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for SCPS students, therefore, the books will be discontinued in Seminole County Public Schools," the district said in the letter.
Kirschenbaum said she and Moms For Liberty have prompted the removal of 101 books from libraries in the school district, and are hoping to see the list grow.
Florida Freedom to Read Project is a nonprofit organization that says their mission is to support public school districts with fulfilling their duty under the law to keep every decision student-centered, especially as they face the “Parents’ Rights” movement.
Stephana Ferrell, the director of research and insight for the Florida Freedom To Read Project, sent the following statement in regards to books being removed from Seminole County Public Schools:
The actions taken by Seminole district leaders mirror what's happening throughout our state in reaction to misleading Florida Department of Education guidance. In an effort to comply with the changes in law thanks to HB 1069, internal reviews have been issued in a number of districts, including Seminole, resulting in the quiet removal and restriction of books. We're confident Seminole County would support access to many of these titles, if given the chance to participate in a thorough committee review process. The lack of parental restrictions on library access in the district is evidence that parents overwhelmingly support access to inclusive picture books, diverse stories addressing discrimination, challenging cautionary tales and thought provoking coming-of-age stories.