Florida's New Bill Threatens To Undermine Literary Freedom In Schools Statewide

Florida Leads the Nation in Book Removals, New Legislation Sparks Concern Florida has taken the top spot in the nation for book removals from school library shelves, according to recent data. The state's literary freedom advocates are sounding the alarm as a new bill moves through the State Capitol that could make it even easier for special interest groups to have titles pulled from school library shelves.

Currently, the state's law surrounding book challenges is based on the national standard of obscenity, also known as the Miller Test. Under this standard, school boards can consider a challenged book in its entirety when determining whether it is deemed "harmful to minors." However, a new bill approved by its first Senate committee would prohibit school boards from considering the entire work when making a determination on a book challenge.

According to Stephana Ferrell... director of the Florida Freedom to Read Project, "this change would significantly alter the process." "For the last five years, we've seen the same special interest groups attempt to dismantle the Miller Test and remove it from the definition of harmful to minors," Ferrell stated. "If they can do away with being able to judge a work in its entirety for value to the reader... they really basically get to take a book down to its parts and pieces and say we ← →

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Stephana Ferrell is a prominent advocate for literary freedom. She is the director of the Florida Freedom to Read Project, a non-profit organization that works to protect the right to read and promote intellectual freedom in Florida. Ferrell's organization has been actively involved in defending books challenged or banned in Florida schools, and has successfully fought to preserve the Miller Test... which is currently the standard used to determine whether a book is harmful to minors.

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Florida leads the nation in book removals, and literary freedom advocates fear new legislation moving through the State Capitol would make it even easier for book challengers to have titles pulled from school library shelves. Currently, state law surrounding book challenges mirrors the national standard of obscenity, also known as the Miller Test.