St. Johns County School Board will decide again whether to ban another list of books

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Johns County School Board will be deciding whether to ban certain books inside school libraries.

These books tackle topics like sexuality, sexual identity, racism and critical race theory.

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A group of parents was back, making their case in front of school board members for why the board should ban a list of eight books from libraries in St. Johns County Schools.

You’ll also see official recommendations from the St. Johns County School District Media Advisory committees, which Superintendent Tim Forson agreed on.

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RECOMMENDATIONS FROM JOHNS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT MEDIA ADVISORY COMMITTEES:

• “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher - RESTRICTED TO 8TH GRADE AND UP
• “Breakaways” by Cathy C. Johnson - RESTRICTED TO 6TH GRADE AND UP
• “Lucky” by Alice Sebold - RESTRICTED TO 11TH GRADE AND UP
• “Sold” by Patricia McCormick - RESTRICTED TO 8TH GRADE AND UP
• “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky - RETENTION
• “This Book is Anti Racist” by Tiffany Jewell - RETENTION
• “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison - RETENTION
• “A Court of Frost and Starlight” by Sarah J Maas - PARENTAL PERMISSION SHOULD BE REQUIRED FOR CHECK-OUT

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You’ll notice the committees recommended to keep all of these books, with certain age restrictions on some of them.

Back in May, we told you there was a similar discussion surrounding another list of seven books, which the school board ultimately voted 3-2 not to ban.

RELATED: St. Johns County School Board weighing book bans

“You will be forcing a child to be an adult when they are not ready,” said one mother, Jeane Moore, who filed the appeal.

She read excerpts from every book on the list.

“I watched him as he unzipped his pants,” she said out loud as she read from the book “Lucky.”

Afterward, she concluded, “This is graphic sexual material. It should be removed under the law.”

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During public comment, some supported the notion.

“When I heard that. It made me blush,” said one father, who said he hadn’t planned on speaking but was worried his daughters would be exposed to this.

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Many came out against removing these books.

“As a clinical psychologist I understand you know, the fear of exposing our children to things that may be graphic or explicit,” one woman shared. “And I also know that it’s important for children at the appropriate ages to be in the world and exposed to art.”

“Stop it please. Let the children read,” said another mom, looking over at Moore.

“Banning books is not synonymous with liberty,” echoed another woman as she spoke at the podium.

Before this year, the school board hadn’t been asked to remove, retain, or modify any book selection in the past 40 years.

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