Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed new bill on Tuesday (April 16) aimed at modifying the existing policies around challenges to books in school libraries, a part of his ongoing campaign against what he terms “woke indoctrination.” The new legislation introduces restrictions on who can challenge books, limiting objections to one per month for those without children in the affected school district, while parents with children in the district can continue to file unlimited challenges.
DeSantis signs books bill change
The bill “protects schools from activists trying to politicize and disrupt a district’s book review process,” stated the governor’s office in a release.
“Individuals without children in the district will be limited to one objection per month.”
Office of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
The measure scales back a 2022 law signed by DeSantis, which broadened public involvement in reviewing school materials and allowed unrestricted challenges to library books. This change was part of a larger legislative effort that included stringent controls over how schools teach topics related to sex and gender.
Read: Florida censorship: PEN America report shows tides turning
At a news conference, DeSantis defended the need for the 2022 law but acknowledged that it had been misused by individuals pushing political agendas. “I think what’s happened, though, is you have some people who are taking the curriculum transparency, and they’re trying to weaponize that for political purposes,” he explained, adding that objections were even raised against classic literature. “That involves objecting to normal books, like some of the books that I saw on the teacher’s lounge,” DeSantis noted.
The governor described the latest bill as an attempt to prevent the exploitation of book challenges to “to create conflict, to try to generate a narrative and to advance a political agenda.” He has consistently denied accusations that Florida has sought to ban books, branding the controversy as the “book ban hoax” and issuing statements “debunking the myths” around book challenges in the state.
Advocacy groups respond to changes
Responses to the new legislation have been mixed. The Florida Freedom to Read Project, a group opposing book bans, commented on social media platform X, stating that while the new law may not end censorship in schools, it could reduce it in certain contexts. “So for that, thanks for this small amendment,” their post read. “Let’s tackle this again in 2025.”
Meanwhile, PEN America, an organisation advocating for free speech, released a report “Banned in the USA: Narrating the Crisis” coinciding with the bill’s signing, identifying Florida as the state with the highest number of book bans. According to their findings, Florida had over 3,000 book bans from July to December, significantly more than any other state. The report highlighted that from July 2021 to December 2023, more than 5,000 books have been banned in Florida, underscoring ongoing concerns about freedom of expression in educational settings.