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The judge ruled the law is unconstitutional as it infringes on the First Amendment rights of students.
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The Orlando-based federal judge focused primarily on part of the legislation that seeks to prevent the availability of reading material that “describes sexual conduct.”
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The Escambia school board voted 5-0 to remove hundreds of books without review. The books in question come from the Florida Department of Education's book removal list.
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Schools Superintendent Van Ayres said he trusts his media specialists and will have inappropriate materials yanked from shelves ahead of the 2025-26 school year.
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Florida lawmakers voted to extend the regular session to June 6 in order to complete the budget and related items. But they will take at least a week off before returning to Tallahassee.
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Republicans say the bill would keep age-inappropriate books off school shelves. Opponents warn it would dramatically boost book removals in Florida — again.
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According to PEN America, Florida has led the nation in book removals for the past two years.
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Most on the American Library Association's list include explicit descriptions of sexual enounters, along with LGBTQ+ themes and characters, sexual abuse, and references to drug addiction, racism and slavery.
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Under the legislation, school district committees reviewing a challenged book wouldn’t be able to consider literary or artistic merit when deciding to remove it.
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GOP legislators say the bill would protect children from harmful content. Critics argue it would escalate challenges of books in schools.
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The parents from St. Johns and Orange counties filed a notice of appeal last week after U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor in January sided with the State Board of Education and dismissed their lawsuit.
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It is one of a series of lawsuits stemming from a 2023 education law and related decisions by districts to remove from library shelves or restrict access to books deemed “pornographic” or describing “sexual conduct.”