Florida School District Pulls Dictionaries, Encyclopedias From Library Over 'Sexual' Content

A school district in Florida’s panhandle reportedly pulled multiple dictionaries and reference books off its library shelves for including descriptions of “sexual conduct.”

Escambia County School District allegedly removed five different dictionaries, eight encyclopedias and the “The Guinness Book of World Records” from its collection after determining the titles could run afoul of Florida’s HB 1069 bill, which restricts sexual content from being taught in schools.

The books were among the 1,600 titles the public school district took out of circulation last summer, according to a statement from free speech advocacy group PEN America.

Decommissioned titles also include biographies of Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey, Nicki Minaj and Thurgood Marshall.

Though the books were originally pulled during the district’s 2023 summer break, the Escambia County School District is now being forced to defend its decision in a federal lawsuit.

PEN America joined students, parents, book publishers and authors in the suit, which argues the district violated their rights to free speech and equal protection under the law with its decision.

In a press release ahead of the case’s opening arguments on Wednesday, PEN America’s Florida director Katie Blankenship said, “School libraries are not state propaganda centers.”

“We will not stand by as these critical spaces are undermined by political agendas and censorship,” the statement went on.

In a statement to The Messenger, a representative for the Escambia County School District said calling the book removals a “ban” is inaccurate.

“The 1,000+ books they reference have not been banned or removed from the school district,” the spokesperson said. “Rather, they have simply been pulled for further review to ensure compliance with the new legislation. To suggest otherwise is disingenuous and counterproductive.”