Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Residents urge immediate removal of sexually explicit books; board says process too slow
Summary
Multiple residents urged the Escambia County School Board to remove books they described as pornographic from school libraries, citing an attorney general letter and state statute; the board acknowledged the backlog and said it will discuss speeding the process at a future workshop but took no immediate removal action.
Dozens of residents pressed the Escambia County School Board on May 2, 2025, to remove books from school libraries that they said contain sexually explicit material and lack legitimate academic purpose.
The calls for removals followed a recent Florida attorney general letter to Hillsborough County instructing that “the school board bears the affirmative obligation to remove these materials and others like them, not only from the classroom but from the libraries,” a point repeatedly cited by speakers during the board’s public forum.
Vicki Baggett, a resident who has submitted multiple titles for review, told the board she has identified dozens of books she says contain explicit passages and read several of those passages aloud at the meeting. Baggett said the district currently “has 235 books to be reviewed” and that, by her count, about 88 would remain after removing titles already…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
