Students' First Amendment rights affirmed, but the state isn’t done with censorship

New for the 25/26 SY: Book Removal Orders Via Tweet

TALLAHASSEE, FL — A broad coalition representing Florida parents, educators, and citizens, along with authors and national anti-censorship advocates, has issued an open letter to Florida lawmakers. They are calling for a rejection of House Bill 1539, which they say would severely undermine students’ First Amendment rights and dismantle the foundation of Florida’s public education system.

The Florida Department of Education’s statewide list published this weekend is now nearly twice the size of its 22/23 removal list, and a quick review suggests the devastating impact of the vague language in state law and the misleading state guidance on HB 1069 have had on our children's opportunities to learn.

In Clay County, for example, one person is responsible for over 1,000 objections or appeals to the district since July 2022.

A critical misinterpretation of HB1069 has raised concerns that the state is either uninterested in correcting or incapable to correct

Floridians are asking themselves: is this what they want their tax dollars being spent on?

We need to take a realistic look at whether unbanned books can or will actually be brought back to shelves.

We want to address elected officials who are elected by popular vote to represent the will of their constituents doing things that are decidedly unpopular and, in some cases, against the will of their constituents