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:
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
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.”
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 |
The Carnival at Bray | Jessie Ann Foley |
The Clash of Kings | George R.R. Martin |
Dead Until Dark | Charlaine Harris |
Deal With It! | Esther Drill |
Doing It | Hannah Witton |
Dreaming in Cuban | Cristina Garcia |
Eleanor and Park | Rainbow Rowell |
Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud | Jonathan S. Foer |
Fade | Lisa McMann |
Female of the Species | Mindy McGinnis |
The Fixer | Bernard Malamud |
Forever | Judy Blume |
Gabi, A Girl in Pieces | Isabel Quintero |
A Game of Thrones | George R.R. Martin |
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 |
It's Perfectly Normal | Robbie Harris |
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 |
This One Summer | Mariko Tamaki |
Tricks | Ellen Hopkins |
Unravel Me | Tahereh Mafi |
Water for Elephants | Sara Gruen |
Helpful Links
Comprehensive list of books that have been challenged by parents/community members.