CBS News
Publishers sue Florida over book ban law, saying it creates “a regime of strict censorship” in schools
Orlando, Florida — On 16-year-old Jack Hayes’ bookshelf you’ll find books that may no longer be available in some Florida classrooms, such as the Kurt Vonnegut classic “Slaughterhouse-Five.”
His mother, Judi Hayes, said the 2023 Florida law restricting certain books in school libraries is hurting Jack’s ability to learn.
“We’re not talking about Playboy magazine, you know, we’re talking about ‘Anna Karenina’ and ‘War and Peace,'” Judi Hayes told CBS News.
The Hayes are part of a federal lawsuit filed Thursday by Penguin Random House, other publishers and some authors that argues the law “violates the First Amendment” and has created “a regime of strict censorship” in schools.
Under the law, any Florida resident can challenge books in a school or classroom library in their county over sexual content. Once challenged, that book “must be removed within 5 school days…and remain unavailable until the objection is resolved,” the law reads.
Classics that have been pulled as a result of the law include Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and Ernest Hemingway’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls.”
According to a report released in April by Pen America, a free speech organization, between July 2021 and December 2023, Florida had 3,135 book bans recorded across 11 districts, the highest of any state in the nation during that span.
“It is not protecting children when it comes to books like mine,” said author Laurie Halse Anderson, whose book “Speak,” which is about sexual assault, was also removed.
“Parents can say, ‘No, I don’t want my child to read that,'” Anderson said. “…That’s their choice for their kid. But what they don’t have the right to do is decide for other people’s children.”
The lawsuit names the Florida Board of Education as a defendant.
“This is a stunt,” Florida Department of Education spokesperson Sydney Booker said in a statement to CBS News. “There are no books banned in Florida. Sexually explicit material and instruction are not suitable for schools.”
Not named is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who championed the law.
“The media, they try to say that this is, quote, banning books, but what you have in a school, you have to make judgements about what’s appropriate or not,” DeSantis said.
Jack believes politics should not play a role in his education.
“If a student wants to read, they should be able to read that book,” he said.
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Phoenix police on Tuesday released dramatic video of an officer rescuing a man who they say drove his car into a pool.
The video shows the car was fully submerged in the water when the officer arrived after bystanders had called 911 to report someone had driven into the pool. The officer removed some of his gear and got into the pool, where he climbed onto the top of the car, smashed the sunroof and pulled out the unidentified driver, who was wearing a yellow safety vest.
“I got you, I got you, got you,” the officer can be heard saying on body camera video. “Anybody else in there?”
The rescued man was the only person in the car. He told police he’d ended up in the pool after he accidentally stepped on the gas too hard. The man was taken to a hospital after the rescue.
“Thanks to the swift and courageous response of the officer, the man’s life was saved,” police said in a Facebook post.
The incident happened at an apartment complex swimming pool early on Oct. 31, according to CBS News affiliate KPHO.
