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After a months-long effort led by members of Citizens Defending Freedom (CDF), more than 30 age-inappropriate books have been removed from the shelves of the Nassau County School District.
Members of CDF worked to identify 34 books that they said violated Florida Statute 847.012, which bans the knowing distribution of obscene materials to school children, and then challenged them using procedures set forth by the Florida Department of Education.
After a review by the Nassau County School Board (NCSB), those school board members agreed that the books violated the law and removed them from all school libraries in the district.
The following is a partial list of books that have now been removed from the shelves:
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“Nineteen Minutes” by Jodi Picault, removed for depicting graphic sexual content
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“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” by Jesse Andres, removed for depicting graphic sexual content
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“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky, removed for depicting graphic sexual content
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“The Truth About Alice” by Jennifer Mathieu, removed for depicting graphic sexual content
“Our team here on the ground worked hard to identify these books containing material that, according to Florida statute, is not suitable for minors,” said Jack Knocke, County Executive Director for Nassau County CDF. “School districts that are breaking the law should be held accountable. In this case, we are very pleased with the cooperation and professionalism of the Nassau County School Board, who respectfully worked with us every step of the way to help protect our county’s children.”
CDF is grateful to the NCSB for following the review committee policy put in place by the Florida State Board of Education and removing the books that were deemed inappropriate. It is a school board’s responsibility to ensure that the content made available to minor students in their district is age appropriate, and CDF applauds the NCSB for putting children first.
CDF has led book challenges in Hillsborough, Osceola and Polk Counties, along with challenges in several counties in the state of Texas.
