TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Press release from the office of the Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis continued to debunk the false narrative that the state of Florida bans books. Florida does not ban books, instead, the state has empowered parents to object to obscene material in the classroom. Still, some have abused this process to object to items including books about Johnny Appleseed, The Giver and even the Bible. Governor DeSantis is calling on the Legislature to finetune this process to prevent people from taking advantage of Florida law that is designed solely to remove inappropriate material from the classroom. "Over the past year, parents have used their rights to object to pornographic and sexually explicit material they found in school libraries," said Governor DeSantis. “We also know that some people have abused this process in an effort to score cheap political points. Today, I am calling on the Legislature to make necessary adjustments so that we can prevent abuses in the objection process and ensure that districts aren’t overwhelmed by frivolous challenges.”
“As the Education State, our focus is on academic excellence, not indoctrination,” said Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. “I am proud to stand with Governor DeSantis to ensure that Florida’s academic landscape remains rigorous and comprehensive and provides students with age-appropriate materials to help them achieve the highest academic success.”
So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Understanding Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity by Robert Rodi
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway