Publishers sue Florida over school book restrictions, removals

( NewsNation ) — Some of the country’s biggest publishers are teaming up with authors to sue Florida over a book ban law they call unconstitutional.

Among the publishers involved in the 124-page lawsuit are Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishing Group and Simon & Schuster, NewsNation affiliate WFLA reported .

They name Ben Gibson, chair of the Florida State Board of Education; Ryan Petty, vice chair of the Florida State Board of Education; and several members of school boards in the state as defendants.

House Bill 1069, which requires schools to let parents and state residents remove books from their libraries if they object to explicit content in them, went into effect last year. Those without children in a school can only request one material be axed a month, though.

Author Laurie Halse Anderson said her book, “Speak,” has been taught in American high schools for 25 years — but now, it isn’t available in schools across Florida.

“The most sickening irony of all of this, especially when they’re taking my books away, is they’re taking away a book called ‘Speak,'” Anderson, who took part in the lawsuit, told NewsNation. “They are telling students ‘You don’t count, we don’t want your voices.'”

A spokesperson for Florida’s Department of Education called the lawsuit a “stunt,” claiming there are no books banned in Florida.

“Sexually explicit material and instruction are not suitable for schools,” she said.

However, publishers, according to WFLA, say in court documents that the law is so broad that “timeless classics” such as “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” “Invisible Man” and “Brave New World” had to be removed from school libraries under HB 1069.

Dan Novak, the vice president and associate general counsel for Penguin Random House, said the lawsuit is all about the First Amendment.

“When the government blockades, the conversations happen between our authors and young people. That’s not the marketplace of ideas that America is founded upon,” Novak said. “That is censorship.”

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