The Brief
- Hillsborough County schools are pushing back after a national report listed the district as having the second-highest number of school book removals in the U.S. and the most in Florida.
- PEN America’s report shows Hillsborough pulled more than 600 titles, but the district says only 59 were officially removed.
- The discrepancy comes down to how books under “review” are being counted.
TAMPA – Hillsborough County Public Schools is disputing a new national report that claims the district has pulled more books from school libraries than any other in Florida, saying the true number of removed titles is far lower.
The backstory:
The nonprofit PEN America, which advocates for free expression, released its latest Index of School Book Bans for the 2024–2025 school year. It documents more than 6,700 book removals nationwide, with Florida leading the country. Hillsborough County ranked second in the U.S., with 608 titles reportedly removed.
But Hillsborough officials argue that figure doesn’t accurately reflect what’s happened in the district.…