PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — For seven hours, the Escambia County school board heard community input Monday night before voting to restrict access to four books in libraries.
There was a challenge to these four books: Drama, New Kid, The Nowhere Girls and The Bluest Eye.
More than 60 people showed up to address the board. Some people argued the books include pornography and aren’t appropriate for any students. The majority of the people at the meeting wanted to see the books stay on library shelves. They argued the books include LGBTQ characters and students dealing with racism and should stay in schools since it’s not required reading and many students can relate to the stories.
The board voted for the books to remain in schools but restricted to certain grade levels. Drama will be available in middle and high schools. New Kid will be available to students in 4th through 12th grades. The Nowhere Girls and The Bluest Eye will be available to high school juniors and seniors.
The majority of the book challenges, more than 100 of them, have come from one teacher in the district.