Florida school district bans the DICTIONARY over fears students would look up words like ‘sex’ after Gov. Ron DeSantis restricted what children could be taught in school

A Florida school district has removed dictionaries from the shelves of its libraries, fearing students would look up words like “sex” due to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ restrictions on what can be taught in schools.

The Escambia County School District, located in the Florida panhandle, has removed The American Heritage Children’s Dictionary, Webster’s Dictionary for Students and Merriam-Webster’s Elementary Dictionary, among others.

School officials determined that these dictionaries and encyclopedias violated Florida law HB 1069, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, signed by DeSantis in 2022 to restrict access to materials that “conduct sexual ‘ in classrooms.

The school board implemented an emergency rule last June to review all library books after the bill was expanded to include all public school students from kindergarten through high school graduation.

More than 2,800 books, including at least eight encyclopedias, five dictionaries and copies of the Guinness Book of World Records, were removed.

Chief Inspector Keith Leonard said in June 2023 that the approach was ‘necessary due to a hazard to health, safety and welfare’

Parents of students at Escambia schools went to court Wednesday, joining a lawsuit led by PEN America, a free speech advocacy group.

U.S. District Judge Kent Wetherell ruled that the federal lawsuit against the Escambia County school board could proceed and plaintiffs could pursue their First Amendment claims.

Katie Blankenship, director of PEN America’s Florida chapter, said she is “encouraged” by the ruling and called for the books to be returned in a statement released after Wednesday’s ruling.

“These books need to be put back on the shelves where they belong, and every day that students are denied access is a day that they do not receive the high-quality education they deserve,” Blankenship said.

‘School libraries are not state propaganda centers. They are intended as sites of inquiry, where students can encounter a wide range of ideas, access information and inspire discussion, debate, creativity and critical thinking.”

“This case goes to the core of who we are as a country, and for the sake of our children and the future of our democracy, it is critical that we adhere to the language of the First Amendment and the precedents of our federal courts. ‘

“We will not stand by while these critical spaces are undermined by political agendas and censorship,” she added.

The Florida Freedom to Read Project, an organization that challenges book bans, was given access the lists of deleted books,

More than 2,800 books, including at least eight encyclopedias, five dictionaries and copies of the Guinness Book of World Records, have been removed

The school district also removed The American Heritage Children’s Dictionary, Webster’s Dictionary for Students and Merriam-Webster’s Elementary Dictionary, among others.

Parents of students at Escambia schools went to court Wednesday, joining a lawsuit led by PEN America, a free speech advocacy group

After the school started the materials review program last summer, many school libraries were closed at the beginning of the school year.

According to the lists, fewer than 100 books have been reviewed so far.

Chief Inspector Keith Leonard said in June 2023 that the approach was ‘necessary due to a threat to health, safety and welfare.’

A spokesperson for the Escambia County School District said The messenger that the books had not been banned or removed.

“The more than a thousand books they reference have not been banned or removed from the school district; rather, they have simply been withdrawn for further review to ensure compliance with the new legislation.”

They added: ‘To suggest otherwise is dishonest and counterproductive.’

The Florida Legislature passed an expanded version of the so-called “don’t say gay” law in May 2023, restricting classroom teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation for all grade levels in public schools.

In addition, the law also makes it easier for parents to ensure that books they consider inappropriate are removed from their children’s bookshelves.

Governor Ron DeSantis signed the expanded version of HB 1069, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, in 2023 to restrict access to “sexual conduct” materials in classrooms

Anyone can challenge a book in their country for any reason. Once a challenge is imposed, the book in question must be removed from the shelves during the review process, which could take weeks or months.

Not only does the law expand the current scope of the ban from a cap on third-graders to now include high school students, it also restricts teachers from addressing students by the pronouns that do not correspond to the gender they were born into.

While there is more flexibility with high school students, teachers and instructors for these grade levels are limited to discussing these topics in a way that is “age appropriate or developmentally appropriate” for their students.

“This bill promotes parental rights, transparency and state standards in Florida schools. It requires that classes for Florida students be age-appropriate, focused on education, and free from sexualization and indoctrination,” Florida Republican Rep. Adam Anderson previously said of the upcoming bill.

The original version of the Parental Rights in Education law, signed last March, led to DeSantis’ war with Walt Disney Co. after the then CEO spoke out against the measure.

Since then, DeSantis has taken several steps to strip what he calls the “corporate kingdom” of special privileges and tax exemptions it received when the Reedy Creek Improvement District was developed in 1967.