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Hillsborough school board votes to remove two challenged titles after state guidance
Summary
Following guidance from the state attorney general, the Hillsborough County School Board voted unanimously to make Blankets and Identical unavailable in district media centers after months of review and extensive public comment.
The Hillsborough County School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to make the books Blankets by Craig Thompson and Identical by Ellen Hopkins unavailable in district media centers after receiving a recommendation from Superintendent Carey Ayers and guidance from the state attorney general. The decision followed months of challenges, a district-level review process and lengthy public comment.
The board’s vote came after Superintendent Ayers told the board he had received guidance from the state Department of Education and the attorney general and recommended removal. “It is my recommendation that Blankets by Craig Thompson and Identical by Ellen Hopkins be made unavailable in HCPS media centers,” Ayers said while presenting item C105.
Why it matters: The vote reverses a prior board decision to keep the titles on library shelves and puts the district at the center of a statewide dispute over book review processes, parental…
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