Penguin Random House, PEN America, and five authors are suing a Florida school district over its book bans.
The plaintiffs claim that Escambia County School District and School Board, centered in Pensacola, Florida, acted unconstitutionally when they removed or restricted access to books in school libraries in the district.
PEN announced the lawsuit in a news release, writing, “According to the lawsuit, the school board’s removal and restriction of access to books discussing race, racism, and LGBTQ identities, against the recommendations of the district review committee charged with evaluating book challenges, violates the First Amendment.”
The plaintiffs in the suit include authors Sarah Brannen, David Levithan, George M. Johnson, Ashley Hope Pérez, and Kyle Lukoff, as well as two parents of students in the district. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue and Lukoff’s When Aidan Became a Brother were two of three books banned in the district in February, while books by Brannen (Uncle Bobby’s Wedding), Levithan (Two Boys Kissing), and Pérez (Out of Darkness) have also been removed or targeted in the schools.
The plaintiffs are seeking injunctions that would require the school district to restore the books to library shelves while restraining school officials from removing or restricting access to the books in the future.
Penguin Random House CEO Nihar Malaviya said in a statement, “Censorship, in the form of book bans like those enacted by Escambia County, are a direct threat to democracy and our constitutional rights. We stand by our authors, their books, and the teachers, librarians, and parents who champion free expression.”
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
