District materials committee recommends returning Ellen Hopkins' Identical to high school collections and guidance offices; board to decide

A Duval County District Materials Review Committee voted to recommend restoring Identical, a young‑adult novel by Ellen Hopkins, to high school library collections and to place copies in high‑school guidance counselor offices, and the School Board will take the final decision at a later meeting.

Committee and board members reviewed Florida law governing instructional‑material objections and pornographic content, particularly Florida Statute 1006.28 and the statute the committee referenced for defining prohibited or pornographic material (transcript cites the statute number 847.012). Staff read portions of the statutes into the record and explained the committee process and appeals procedures, including use of a special magistrate if a parent appeals a board decision.

Board members pressed staff for procedural clarifications: how the committee was composed, whether committee members submitted individual written recommendations and whether restoring a title would open the option for additional schools to purchase the title or for library donations to increase availability. Staff said the committee's final recommendation — recorded in the committee packet — is to restore the title to high‑school libraries and add it to guidance counselor offices at the high‑school level. Staff also said that restoring a title to the collection would allow other schools to purchase the book or accept donations subject to district review.

Trustees discussed operational questions about opt‑out mechanisms and enforcement. Staff explained parents may submit a form at the start of the year to limit the categories of library materials their child may access; the Destiny/Follett catalog used by the district can show collection records and can flag titles with limitations. Staff said teachers keep records of families who opt out of specific classroom library materials and principals keep records for the school.

Several public speakers urged the board not to restore the book, citing graphic sexual content and traumatic themes. Public commenters referenced committee composition and transparency, the timing of the review and the fact that five copies of the title were in district collections. One commenter asked the board to require more transparency about committee selection, to expedite future reviews, to require challengers to pinpoint the challenged passages, and to prohibit donations until reviewed by the committee.

The board did not vote on the committee's recommendation during the meeting. Staff said they would place the committee's recommendation on the board agenda with the committee language in the item description so trustees have a clear starting point for deliberation and vote at a later meeting.

Ending

The committee's recommendation to restore Identical to high‑school libraries and guidance offices will appear on a future board agenda for a decision by the Duval County School Board. Staff will provide additional requested clarifications about committee composition, school-by-school locations where the books had been found and cataloging/opt‑out procedures.