• Library Book Review Process

The Process

  • As required by state law, Duval County Public Schools certified media specialists are reviewing all books in school media centers and classroom libraries. 

    This process has yielded titles that will not be used in Duval County Public Schools because the content of these books could be construed to be in violation of Florida law. 

    This list of non-approved books is at the bottom of this webpage.

    Note that all books are available to students with the exception of the 19 books listed below.   

    The only other exceptions would be books in our middle and high school media centers that have been identified through various sources as potentially being in violation of Florida law. These will be reviewed by our certified media specialists. 

    For information about a particular book, submit a public records request to prr@duvalschools.org. 

     

The Law

  • Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 1467 in March 2022. It became law on July 1, 2022. 

    Under this new law, all books in school libraries must be reviewed by a certified media specialist. 

    On Oct. 19, 2022, Florida's State Board of Education extended the law to include classroom libraries (Rule 6a-7.0713, effective Nov. 22, 2022).  Classroom libraries are sets of books in classrooms that teachers typically use to facilitate independent reading. Classroom libraries may include books the district purchased, donated books to the school, or books that teachers might have purchased over their careers. 

    The law and the State Board of Education rule affect all Florida public school districts. In addition to the state-required review, it required that all certified media specialists take training provided by the Florida Department of Education about this process. This training was made available in January 2023. 

     

     

The Criteria

  • Based on required state training -- which covered multiple laws dealing with gender and racial ideology in books -- Duval County Public Schools is reviewing for the following:

    1. Material which could be considered pornographic is not allowed. State trainers reminded our team throughout their presentation that this is punishable as a third-degree felony and that reviewers should “err on the side of caution” - Florida Statute 847.012 

    2. Material that could violate Florida Statute 1006.31(2)(d) and 1003.42(3) which, among other requirements, includes material that might describe a person or people as “inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously, solely by virtue of his or her race or sex.”

    3. Material should be appropriate for the grade level and age group for which the materials are used and made available - Florida Statute 1006.40(3)(d)

     

Not-Approved List

Title Author
Almost Perfect Brian Katche
Beloved Toni Morrison
Dead Until Dark Charlaine Harris
Doing It Hannah Witton
Dreaming in Cuban Cristina Garcia
Forever Judy Blume
grl2grl Anne Peters
Gross Gods Blake Hoena
Jalani and the Lock Lorenzo Pace
Killing Mr. Griffin Lois Duncan
Outlander Diana Gabaldon
It's Perfectly Normal Robbie Harris
Real Live Boyfriends E. Lockheart
So Hard To Say Alex Sanchez
The Hate U Give Angie Thomas
The Story of Werewolves Thomas G. Aylesworth
The Truth About Alice Jennifer Mathieu
Thirteen Reasons Why Jay Asher
Tricks Ellen Hokins

Guidelines for reviewing school library books

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