A Florida school superintendent was publicly threatened with criminal prosecution after refusing to immediately and permanently purge a list of 55 books, including Judy Blume's "Forever," from school libraries, following their designation as "pornography" by the State Board of Education.
The Florida State Board of Education convened a meeting targeting Hillsborough County Superintendent Van Ayres, demanding he remove dozens of titles from school shelves, according to a report. The controversy centers on a list of 55 books labeled "pornographic" by the board, despite none meeting the legal standard for obscenity and no parent complaints having been filed.
Among the works were award-winning titles recognized for their contributions to young adult literature. Ayres had already ordered the temporary removal of the books in question after receiving threatening letters from state officials, including Education Secretary Manny Diaz Jr. and Attorney General James Uthmeier.
However, he stated that librarians would review the books before determining permanent removals. That plan drew fury from board members. Some called the librarians "child abusers," questioned their literacy, and accused them of lacking decency. Board Chair Ben Gibson demanded that all 55 titles be permanently removed within two weeks, bypassing any review process.
Under sustained pressure, Ayres ultimately agreed to permanently ban all books on the list. The move came even though a recent legislative attempt to bypass literary merit when evaluating books had failed in the Florida State Senate.
Other works that were banned include Sarah J. Maas' "A Court of Thorns and Roses" series, Colleen Hoover's "It Ends With Us" and Gregory Maguire's "Wicked".
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