Book bans in schools has been a hotly-debated topic in the last few months, especially in Florida. Students are surprised to find out there are no banned books on campus.
On March 25th, 2022, Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 1467 into law. This new bill requires every book that is available to students to be approved by a district educational media specialist, as well as allowing parents to challenge the books their children read in class.
If whilst under review, the book being challenged is deemed to have inappropriate content or material that is said to be harmful to students, then that book would be removed from schools and can no longer be read in classrooms.
This bill has caused a lot of controversy, with some applauding the bill because of the control that it gives parents in deciding what their children are exposed to. Others believe that this bill is unconstitutional and is allowing for a surge of book bans and censorship in Florida schools.
As a private institution, this bill does not apply to the school, but students still assume that being a religious school, more books about less conservative topics such as sexuality, racism, and gender would be banned on campus.
“I thought that since Lourdes was a Catholic school, there would be a lot of books that teachers were not allowed to teach or even mention,” junior Hailey Scott said. “
Although this bill only affects public schools, it is still a significant area of concern for some students here at school, who are interested in politics and believe that even though this is not affecting them directly, limiting what people can read or learn is wrong.
“I do not believe that there are any valid reasons for banning books,” junior Olivia Prieto said. “Reading books with sensitive topics in school could be very beneficial because then you can discuss with your peers and hear other people’s opinions on certain subjects.”
Teachers in public schools have to get every book that they use in class, approved by the Department of Education. Because of this, they often struggle to find books that relate to the topic they are teaching, while also being “age-appropriate.” The teachers on campus have more leeway when creating their curriculum since they are not confined by all of the rules and restrictions that come with teaching at a public school.
“We can decide what books to read based on our morals and beliefs,” English teacher Mrs. Maria del Carmen Vazquez said. “This year the AP Literature students will be reading two commonly banned books, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. As long as the teachers can give a valid explanation as to why the book they chose is important, what lessons you learn from it, and why it has value for the students then they can read that book with their students.”
Some people, especially administrators, believe that it is the state’s right to decide what their students read and learn about, especially if they deem it inappropriate for that particular age group. For example, many books about racism and homosexuality have been banned in elementary schools, in an attempt to shield younger kids from sensitive topics that are prolific in the real world.
“In the United States, the states are responsible for overseeing and operating schools.” Sister Carmen Teresa Fernandez said. “Therefore, the states have the responsibility to ensure that all students have access to their definition of free and appropriate education, including, but not limited to determining curriculum.”
Overall, House Bill 1467 has caused a lot of discussions between stressed teachers and worried parents, who both only want the best for the students, but just have different opinions on what is right and what is wrong in this situation.
