Last year, multiple dictionaries, including Webster’s and Merriam-Webster’s, were removed from Florida school libraries in Escambia County during an investigation of over 1,600 titles for potential violations of a 2023 state law prohibiting “sexual” content.
The removal is part of an ongoing review of books to ensure compliance with the law in the county.
Reference books like the World Book Encyclopedia and the World Almanac, covering diverse topics such as science, mythology, and the Bible, were also investigated in Escambia County, Florida.
It’s also reviewing the biographies of Beyoncé and Oprah Winfrey, Anne Frank’s diary and “The Autobiography of Malcolm X.”
The school district’s published list, circulated by PEN America, highlights these titles in connection with the ongoing legal dispute over book removals.
According to Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read program, the inclusion of dictionaries in the review, triggering scrutiny based on “sexual conduct,” highlights the broad scope of Florida’s new rules and the tense atmosphere in school districts.
“This was just another example that illuminates the heightened atmosphere, the chilled atmosphere that we’re navigating,” Meehan said. “Librarians are feeling so pressured to err on such extreme caution that these are the types of books that are being pulled for review.”
As of December 7, dictionaries were noted for review but were not present on the updated list on Wednesday, suggesting a potential return to shelves. The list was updated a day after PEN America highlighted the dictionaries, and it still featured some reference books.
On Thursday, Superintendent Keith Leonard said the district remained “committed to adhering to all statutes and regulations, while also providing valuable and varied literacy opportunities for every student.”
He said, “The dictionary has not been banned in our district.”
Including dictionaries in the review process has raised concerns for some, prompting questions about the need to subject these basic reference materials to scrutiny.
“Dictionaries have always held an important place in our schools,” said Greg Barlow, president of Merriam-Webster. “They help all of us, including students of all ages, expand our knowledge, learn the value of words, and most importantly teach us how to communicate with each other.”
“We absolutely believe that everyone should have access to them,” he added.
The examination of dictionaries is a minor element within the broader book ban controversy in Escambia.
The district, housing over 50 panhandle schools, initiated book reviews in response to Florida’s May approval of H.B. 1069, which additionally restricts teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity for 8th grade and below.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his supporters praised the law as a measure to enhance “parental rights in education” and alleged that “pornographic and inappropriate” materials were being introduced into schools.
“What we’ve seen in these libraries and in some of the books, there’s clearly a concerted effort to try to do indoctrination in the middle school grades,” DeSantis said.
According to spokesman Cody Strother, to start the fall school year, Escambia closed libraries and covered bookshelves to protect students from “potentially objectionable or illegal content.”
By early December, the district had removed 2,868 copies of 1,607 titles, including dictionaries, as part of the ongoing review, according to Bradley Vinson, Escambia’s coordinator of media services.
On Wednesday, a federal judge allowed the lawsuit against the school board to proceed, rejecting the board’s request for dismissal.
In the lawsuit filed last May, PEN America, along with Penguin Random House, parents, and authors, accused the school board of violating students’ First Amendment rights by “systematically excluding certain viewpoints,” particularly those of LGBTQ communities and people of color.
The group seeks a court ruling declaring Florida’s book removal efforts unconstitutional, with the intention of sending a signal to states nationwide.
The school board contends that its actions fall under government speech, not subject to First Amendment protections. They argue that by removing board-purchased books from school libraries, they haven’t technically banned any books.
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