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

The Florida Department of Education, under the leadership of new Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas, continues to push the boundaries of the state’s own laws. The most recent example is in the Tampa Bay area, where Kamoutsas on Monday posted a photo of the book “Trans Mission: My Quest to a Beard” by Alex Bertie, stating it was on a library shelf in Hillsborough County Schools.

Kamoutsas wrote that the school district “continues to expose students to inappropriate content in their media centers, even after the State Board of Education addressed the issue.” He then threatened Hillsborough County Schools Superintendent Van Ayers, saying he expects “this to be remedied immediately or you can expect another invite to our next meeting.” 

That’s likely in reference to a meeting in early June when members of the state Board of Education questioned Ayers regarding books they claimed were “clearly pornographic,” despite Ayers bowing to political pressure and removing for review some 600 books from school libraries at an estimated cost of $500,000.

Kamoutsas’ latest charge is not only a threat to the critical autonomy of school districts — and in this case, librarians who are experts in gauging appropriate content — it ignores basic facts and legal precedent. 

The book in question, which Google Reads describes as “a brave firsthand account of online personality Alex Bertie's life, struggles, and victories as a transgender teen, as well as a groundbreaking guide for transitioning teens,” may not be appropriate for or of interest to younger children.

But upon close inspection of the photograph of the book Kamoutsas shared, a sticker can be seen indicating it is on display at a high school in Hillsborough County. Additionally, a professional review by School Library Journal notes that the book is appropriate for grade 7 and up, and a Kirkus Review similarly concludes the memoir has a reader interest age of 13-18. 

Further, the book was not listed in the state’s own removal reports for either the 2022/23 or 2023/24 school years. So Kamoutsas is making threats based on the availability of a book his own department has not even flagged, meaning its inclusion wasn’t even on anyone’s radar. 

His comment becomes even more questionable when considering how other districts have handled objections to the very same book. The county arguably most likely to ban a book, Clay County, has upheld inclusion of this book not once, but twice and reported its retention to the state two years ago in their 23/24 IM-D report. 

There, the book was challenged and subsequently determined to be appropriate. The decision was appealed, and then later upheld. If there was state concern over the appropriateness of this book, how come it wasn't communicated at that time?

Worse still, Kamoutsas’ post ignores a settlement his department reached in early 2024. After the 2022 “Parental Rights in Education” law passed, often referred to as “Don’t Say Gay,” Equality Florida, along with other groups, challenged the law. Ultimately, the state and plaintiffs agreed to drop the case after the settlement was reached. While it had much more sweeping implications related to clarifying the law, the settlement also included language explaining that discussion regarding sexual orientation or gender identity is allowed, as long as it’s not part of regular classroom instruction. Specifically, both parties agreed that the legislation did not impact voluntary reading materials made available in school libraries. Since the book Kamoutsas shared a photograph of was in a library, not a classroom, it cannot be considered part of classroom instruction.  

Nevertheless, Hillsborough County Schools Superintendent Van Ayres responded after Kamoutsas’ tweet, laying out three steps the district was taking regarding the book: allowing it to only be checked out with parental consent, reviewing the book per district procedures, and not prominently displaying the book in any district media center. 

Those steps go above and beyond what Ayers is legally or statutorily obligated to do. Yet Attorney General James Uthmeier responded not with gratitude, but with hostility, saying he should remove the book altogether, adding “this is not good enough.” All of this was done on the social media app formerly known as Twitter - not through an official letter, meeting, or vote.

Keep in mind that state leaders’ assertion that the book is inappropriate is not a statement of fact, but of opinion. For the parents who happen to share their views, districts offer parents the opportunity to communicate the library boundaries they have discussed and set with their children. In this case, parents don’t have to do anything – their child will not be able to check out this particular book without specific authorization from a parent or guardian.

However, for the countless parents who believe teenagers — because this is after all high school — benefit from access to literature that educates them about experiences they may not understand, whether it’s their own lived experience, a friend’s or a family member's, those parents and their children should have rights, too. 

Republicans in leadership in Florida, from the halls of the Legislature, to the Governor’s office, to the Department of Education, are aggressively pushing a “parental rights” agenda that only supports such rights for parents who happen to agree with the position of those in power. 

While we agree that parents absolutely should have the right to direct the educational upbringing of their children, we believe one parent’s assertion of rights cannot and should not restrict other parents from asserting theirs. If a parent does not believe this book, or any other, is appropriate for their child, they have the right to collaborate with their school to set unique library limits without impeding on the rights of others to give their student full access. 

The term “parental rights” loses all meaning when it only applies to people who agree with current state leadership. For those of us in districts where local committee decisions are overturned by state orders, our duly elected School Board members are threatened with removal, or educational opportunities are diminished due to ever-shrinking resources, Commissioner Kamoutsas’ efforts feel like purposeful partisan attacks on our educational choices, not parent empowerment.