Residents urge immediate removal of sexually explicit books; board says process too slow

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 removed in other Florida counties. She said only one book has been removed since review committees resumed and urged the board to act immediately rather than rely on committee review.

Several other speakers urged quicker action. Rick Holznick, a resident, cited the attorney general’s letter and said Hillsborough removed “389,000 books,” urging Escambia officials to “get the low hanging fruit” and remove titles already flagged elsewhere. Keith Bowen, who said he serves on a district book review committee for District 2, described what he called “a broken book review process” and urged the board or superintendent to remove books that entered libraries without proper review. Melanie Eubanks and Desiree Warren also told the board the current review system is not working and asked for swifter removals.

Board members acknowledged the backlog and the public concern but did not vote to remove any titles during the meeting. Mister Adams, School Board member, said if books have already been removed in other Florida districts, “then let’s get them the heck out of Escambia County.” Mister Fetzko, School Board member, described the review process as “entirely too slow” and said the board should consider a different procedure. Mister Harrow, School Board member, said the district should “move forward” but also noted legal risks and federal lawsuits tied to removal decisions.

Superintendent Leonard, cited by speakers and board members, did not announce any immediate removals. Board members repeatedly framed the issue as one that requires legal defensibility and faster committee throughput; they said the topic would be discussed at an upcoming workshop so the board can consider procedural changes or other options to accelerate removals.

No formal board action to remove specific titles was taken on May 2. Instead, the meeting record shows substantial public comment and several board members directing staff or the board to return with options for changing the review process.

The public testimony included requests for transparency about which titles were flagged, how donations enter school libraries, and whether administrators and media specialists are following state law. Speakers referenced Florida Statute 847.012 and a recent attorney general enforcement letter as the legal basis for removals. One speaker also raised related transparency questions about audit committee notices and meeting minutes.

The board closed the public forum after extended comment and indicated the book-review process and possible policy changes would be an agenda item for a future workshop. The district’s next steps and any specific titles that might be removed were not specified at the meeting.