A teacher unable to read books to her fourth-grade students without seeking permission. A pastor worried children will encounter graphic sexual material in the titles waiting on classroom shelves. A superintendent fired in part, he said, for refusing to yank books out of the schools.
The battle over what children should be allowed to read in school has riven Floridas Escambia County School District. Its part of a national battle, as school book objections surge to historic highs across the country.
In Escambia County, the controversy kicked off in 2022, when a high school language arts teacher, Vicki Baggett, challenged more than 100 books for what she called inappropriate content. The challenges would spur the removal or restriction of scores of titles, contribute to the superintendents termination and draw an ongoing federal lawsuit that seeks to restore the books and alleges district officials have violated students and teachers constitutional rights.
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