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The Law

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 1467 in March 2022. It became law on July 1, 2022. 

Under this new law, all books in school libraries must be reviewed by a certified media specialist. 

On Oct. 19, 2022, Florida's State Board of Education extended the law to include classroom libraries (Rule 6a-7.0713, effective Nov. 22, 2022).  Classroom libraries are sets of books in classrooms that teachers typically use to facilitate independent reading. Classroom libraries may include books the district purchased, donated books to the school, or books that teachers might have purchased over their careers. 

The law and the State Board of Education rule affect all Florida public school districts. In addition to the state-required review, it required that all certified media specialists take training provided by the Florida Department of Education about this process. This training was made available in January 2023.

The Process

As required by state law, Duval County Public Schools certified media specialists review all books in school media centers and classroom libraries. 

The list of current, non-approved books is at the bottom of this webpage.

For information about a particular book, submit a public records request to Email PRR

The Criteria

Based on required state training -- which covered multiple laws dealing with gender and racial ideology in books -- Duval County Public Schools is reviewing for the following:

  1. Material which could be considered pornographic is not allowed. State trainers reminded our team throughout their presentation that this is punishable as a third-degree felony and that reviewers should “err on the side of caution” - Florida Statute 847.012 

  2. Material that could violate Florida Statute 1006.31(2)(d) and 1003.42(3) which, among other requirements, includes material that might describe a person or people as “inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously, solely by virtue of his or her race or sex.”

  3. Material should be appropriate for the grade level and age group for which the materials are used and made available - Florida Statute 1006.40(3)(d)

Guidelines for Reviewing School Library Books

Not-Approved List

Title

Author

Almost Perfect

Brian Katche

America

E.R. Frank

Ask the Passengers

A.S. King

Beautiful

Amy Read

Beloved

Toni Morrison

Blake's Poetry and Designs

Mary Lynn Johnson

Boy Toy

Barry Lyga

Burn

Ellen Hopkins

The Carnival at Bray

Jessie Ann Foley

The Clash of Kings

George R.R. Martin

Crank

Ellen Hopkins

Dead Until Dark

Charlaine Harris

Deal With It!

Esther Drill

Deogratias:A Tale of Rwanda

Jean-Philippe Stassen

Doing It

Hannah Witton

Dreaming in Cuban

Cristina Garcia

E.E. Cummings Complete Poems 1904-1962

George J. Firmage

Eleanor and Park

Rainbow Rowell

Etcetera-The Unpublished Poems of EE Cummings

George J. Firmage

Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud

Jonathan S. Foer

Fade

Lisa McMann

Fallout

Ellen Hopkins

Female of the Species

Mindy McGinnis

The Fixer

Bernard Malamud

Forever

Judy Blume

Frankenstein:Prodigal Son Bk.1

Dean Koontz

Gabi, A Girl in Pieces

Isabel Quintero

A Game of Thrones

George R.R. Martin

Glass

Ellen Hopkins

Go Ask Alice

Anonymous

grl2grl

Anne Peters

Half of a Yellow Sun

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

A Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Maya Angelou

Identical

Ellen Hopkins

Impulse

Ellen Hopkins

It's Perfectly Normal

Robbie Harris

Jesus Land:A Memoir

Julia Scheeres

L8R G8R

Lauren Myracle

Life is Funny

E.R. Frank

Lolita

Vladīmir Vladimirovich Nabokov

Looking for Alaska

John Green

Me, Earl & the Dyling Girl

Jesse Andrews

19 Minutes

Jodi Picoult

Outlander

Diana Gabaldon

Perfect Chemistry

Simone Elkeles

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Stephen Chbosky

Push

Sapphire

Real Live Boyfriends

E. Lockheart

Red Hood

Elana K. Arnold

So Hard to Say

Alex Sanchez

The DUFF:Designated Ugly Fat Friend

Kody Keplinger

The Taking

Dean Koontz

The Teenage Guy's Survival Guide:The Real Deal on Going Out, Growing Up, and Other Guy Stuff

Jeremy Daldry

This One Summer

Mariko Tamaki

Tricks

Ellen Hopkins

Unravel Me

Tahereh Mafi

Water for Elephants

Sara Gruen

Helpful Links

  • Reconsiderations List.

    Comprehensive list of books that have been challenged by parents/community members.