Nassau school board defends formal book-review process after outside letter; some contested titles remain off shelves

Nassau County School District staff told the board at a June workshop that books subject to formal objections are taken out of student circulation while the district—s review process proceeds, and that the district must follow state statutes and its administrative rules even when outside officials urge faster removal.

The discussion began after board member Miss Simpkins raised a June letter sent by Florida education official Manny Diaz to another district. Doctor Burns, a district administrator, said the district has followed its policy and state law and is processing formal objections through the district review committee. "We have to continue to follow the process that we put in place," Doctor Burns said. He added that legal advice from the district—s attorney counsels against a simple rule that would remove any book on a single checklist item.

Why it matters: the board has recently been the focus of contested library titles and a federal lawsuit over a prior set of challenged books. Board members said they want to prevent pornographic material from being available to students, while staff said the statutory test in Florida (including a three-pronged test referenced from training materials) requires a fuller committee review to determine whether material is legally "harmful to minors." District staff said that when a petitioner marks material as pornographic on the state material-objection form, the title is pulled within five days and secured while the review proceeds.

What the district described: Carrie Burgess Watkins and other staff said their process uses a state-provided material-objection form and that committee members complete that checklist while reviewing titles individually; those checklist answers inform, but do not substitute for, the committee—s final recommendation. Doctor Burgess Watkins said the district—s attorney advised the district must follow the administrative rule and statute, and that an informal review track is available for titles that do not trigger formal objection procedures.

Titles and status: staff said two titles that have been retained so far after review are Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and Beloved; other titles named in public controversy were removed or access-limited. Staff also corrected a prior naming confusion: it is All American Boys (not Ghost Boys) that was under discussion in a particular review batch. The district said books under formal objection are not available to students while the review is pending and are marked and stored in the Destiny inventory system.

Board concerns and possible changes: several board members, including Miss Simpkins and board member Joe (first name not specified in the transcript), urged a two-step process that would: 1) record whether a majority of committee members considered a title pornographic, and 2) then proceed to a removal recommendation. Staff said they had received the same recommendation from a committee member and will consult with district counsel, Brett Steger, about options that would not expose the district to new litigation.

What—s next: staff said they will finish review of the last titles listed in the prior federal lawsuit at the committee meeting on June 17 and will provide detailed tallies (how many committee members marked each checklist item and how each member ultimately voted) for board review. Staff also said an informal district-level review can run concurrently for titles not subject to formal objections. The district plans outreach to recruit more parent volunteers for the review committee.