Florida education commissioner calls for broader school book reviews, singles out Hillsborough County

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. - Florida's education commissioner is calling for a more aggressive review of books available to public school students, arguing districts should identify potentially inappropriate material themselves instead of waiting for parents to find it.

Hillsborough school funding threatened

The backstory:

The seven-page memorandum from Education Commissioner Henry Mack was sent Wednesday to school district superintendents and charter school leaders across Florida.

Hillsborough County features prominently in it.

Mack points to parents who have repeatedly appeared before the Hillsborough County School Board to object to books containing sexual content. He argues that relying on parents to discover potentially inappropriate material represents a failure of the district's responsibility to review its own collections.

"A process that depends on a parent discovering explicit material, reading it in a public meeting, and then forcing a district response is not only severely flawed," Mack wrote. 

The commissioner says Florida law makes district school boards responsible for materials available in classrooms, school libraries and reading lists.

Hillsborough parents push for action

The memo comes after another round of concerns raised during a Sept. 15 Hillsborough County School Board meeting.

Julie Gebherds, a parental rights advocate, identified several books she said were available in district schools and read sexually explicit passages from them during public comment.

"We have so many books that are like this," Gebherds told the board. "And to offer these books in the safety of our school libraries is just a travesty."

She urged district leaders to act before parents have to identify individual books.

"I'm here again out of a sense of duty to protect children, and I challenge you to take up your courage as well to do something proactive about these books," Gebherds said.

Pastor John K. Amanchukwu Sr. also addressed the board and read explicit passages from books he said he found in district school libraries.

"What is the educational benefit of this?" Amanchukwu asked board members.

Mack's memo cites Hillsborough as evidence that what he calls a reactive review process is insufficient. He says hundreds of titles had previously been pulled for review, but parents returned this month with objections to additional books. 

What Florida wants districts to do

Mack recommends a 90-day plan that would significantly expand how districts examine their collections.

Among other steps, the plan recommends districts audit their existing books, inventory classroom libraries, scrutinize donations and book fair materials, and initially prioritize books that have already been removed or discontinued elsewhere in Florida after an objection.

Mack also recommends districts establish a 30-day timeline for full-text reviews of books flagged through an objection or audit. 

The commissioner is also directing districts to regularly compare their collections against a list maintained by the Florida Department of Education.

That report documents materials Florida school districts reported removing or discontinuing following objections. State law requires DOE to compile the information and provide it to other districts for consideration when selecting materials. 

But Mack makes an important distinction.

"Inclusion on the list does not, by itself, establish a statewide prohibition," he wrote.

Instead, Mack says a district possessing the same book should review it locally to determine whether it complies with Florida law and remains appropriate for students who can access it. 

Critics warn about broader restrictions

The state's push is also drawing criticism from organizations concerned about students' access to books as reading continues to decline nationwide. 

PEN America and Florida Freedom to Read say Florida's latest report documents more than 600 instances of books being removed or discontinued across 10 districts during the 2025-26 school year. The organizations describe those actions as censorship and are urging districts not to treat the list as a de facto statewide blacklist.

"A book's removal in one Florida county should not become a license to ban it in the other 66," William Johnson, director of PEN America's Florida office, said in a Sept. 10 statement. 

Florida Freedom to Read argues decisions should continue to be made locally and in context.

"Each school district should evaluate materials independently, transparently, and in full context, with decisions guided by professional educators and librarians and informed by the needs of students and families who live there," the organization's Stephana Ferrell said.

The organizations' concern is that an objection made in one district can have consequences elsewhere once the resulting removal appears on the state's list and prompts reviews in other counties.

Mack's memo, however, explicitly says a match on that list should result in a local review rather than an automatic removal. 

His recommended review process also calls for participation from certified media specialists, curriculum staff, school administrators, parents and legal or compliance personnel. 

What's on Florida's list?

The state's latest report runs 28 pages and includes hundreds of titles spanning children's books, young adult fiction and well-known works of literature.

Among them are Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. 

Other districts reported removing or discontinuing titles including The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and Native Son by Richard Wright. 

A title's presence on the report does not establish that it is prohibited statewide, nor does the report itself provide the complete circumstances behind each district's decision.

What happened in Hillsborough?

One apparent discrepancy raises additional questions about the scope of book reviews in Hillsborough County.

Mack's memo says hundreds of titles were previously "pulled for review" in Hillsborough. 

However, Florida's 2025-26 report lists Hillsborough County as having "None Removed or Discontinued."

Those statements are not necessarily contradictory. A book temporarily pulled for review is different from one ultimately removed or discontinued following an objection.

PEN America also notes that DOE's annual report does not necessarily include books temporarily pulled for internal review, nor does it document challenges that ultimately result in books remaining available. 

FOX 13 has asked Hillsborough County Public Schools how many books have been reviewed, how many were returned to shelves, how many remain unavailable and whether the district plans to implement Mack's recommended 90-day plan.

What happens next?

Mack says the Department of Education can investigate credible allegations that a district is failing to comply with Florida law or State Board of Education rules.

If the State Board ultimately determines a district is unwilling or unable to comply, state law allows corrective measures that can include withholding certain state, grant or lottery funding.

The commissioner is also directing DOE staff to develop recommendations for potentially strengthening State Board rules governing school library audits and district reporting. 

The debate now centers on how districts balance two competing concerns: identifying material that may be legally prohibited or inappropriate for students before a parent has to flag it, while maintaining access to books that remain permissible and appropriate.

FOX 13 will update this story when Hillsborough County Public Schools responds.

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