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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.
Tupperware and some of its subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the once-iconic food container maker said in a statement late Tuesday.
The company has suffered from dwindling sales following a surprise surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, when legions of people stuck at home tried their hands at cooking, which increased demand for Tupperware’s colorful plastic containers with flexible airtight seals.
A post-pandemic rise in costs of raw materials and shipping, along with higher wages, also hurt Tupperware’s bottom line.
Last year, it warned of “substantial doubt” about its ability to keep operating in light of its poor financial position.
“Over the last several years, the Company’s financial position has been severely impacted by the challenging macroeconomic environment,” president and CEO Laurie Ann Goldman said in a statement announcing the bankruptcy filing.
“As a result, we explored numerous strategic options and determined this is the best path forward,” Goldman said.
The company said it would seek court approval for a sale process for the business to protect its brand and “further advance Tupperware’s transformation into a digital-first, technology-led company.”
The Orlando, Florida-based firm said it would also seek approval to continue operating during the bankruptcy proceedings and would continue to pay its employees and suppliers.
“We plan to continue serving our valued customers with the high-quality products they love and trust throughout this process,” Goldman said.
The firm’s shares were trading at $0.5099 Monday, well down from $2.55 in December last year.
Tupperware said it had implemented a strategic plan to modernize its operations and drive efficiencies to ignite growth following the appointment of a new management team last year.
“The Company has made significant progress and intends to continue this important transformation work.”
In its filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Tupperware listed assets of between $500 million and $1 billion and liabilities of between $1 billion and $10 billion.
The filing also said it had between 50,000 and 100,000 creditors.
Tupperware lost popularity with consumers in recent years and an initiative to gain distribution through big-box chain Target failed to reverse its fortunes.
The company’s roots date to 1946, when chemist Earl Tupper “had a spark of inspiration while creating molds at a plastics factory shortly after the Great Depression,” according to Tupperware’s website.
“If he could design an airtight seal for plastic storage containers, like those on a paint can, he could help war-weary families save money on costly food waste.”
Over time, Tupper’s containers became popular that many people referred to any plastic food container as Tupperware. And people even threw “Tupperware parties” in their homes to sell the containers to friends and neighbors.
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