Florida leads states for book bans as some parents seek more review of students' reading materials
FORT LAUDERDALE -- A new report from a nonprofit group said Florida is leading the country in the number of books pulled from library and classroom shelves.
The new report from PEN America, a literary and free expression advocacy group, found that book bans in public schools rose by 33 percent with Florida having the highest number of book restrictions -- with more than 1,400 bans -- compared to any other state.
New state laws allow parents to challenge books they find objectionable, and districts have a process to review the books and determine a course of action
The Broward County School District says 17 books have currently been reviewed with three removed from schools and the rest relocated to areas where different age levels can access them.
At Tuesday's school board meeting, several speakers attempted to read passages from books they said were not appropriate for school children.
Some called the material pornographic.
Corie Pinero, a member of Moms for Liberty in Broward County, an advocacy group for parental rights, said she has identified 50 titles she finds objectionable.
"We have ratings for movies but we don't have ratings for books," she said.
In Miami-Dade, the school district said no library books have been removed but three were moved to a different grade level.
The Florida Parent Teachers Association wrote earlier this year that they objected to some of the the new education laws governing libraries, saying they "could trigger attempts to impose school-site censorship."
"These books are not being banned," Pinero said. "You can get them at your public library or buy them on Amazon. It's a parents choice."