A coalition of literary organizations, anti-censorship advocacy groups, and Florida education stakeholders has formally opposed Florida House Bill 1539, legislation they claim would significantly restrict students' access to books in Florida public schools.
The bill would amend existing Florida statutes to require school districts to remove any book deemed "harmful to minors" within five days of a challenge, regardless of whether the material has undergone proper review processes.
"This is not just a policy concern—it's a constitutional one," the coalition wrote in an open letter to Florida lawmakers, adding, "This bill short-circuits review processes and replaces them with censorship fueled by fear, not fact."
Signatories of the letter include American Booksellers for Free Expression, Authors Against Book Bans, the Authors Guild, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, EveryLibrary, the Florida Freedom to Read Project, PEN America, and We Need Diverse Books.
Critics note that the bill's revised definition of "harmful to minors" explicitly rejects consideration of a book's literary, artistic, political, or scientific value if sexual content is present—a departure from established constitutional standards.
If enacted, the legislation could affect such widely-taught literary works as Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which have already faced challenges in other Florida districts.
The coalition cited the Supreme Court case Board of Education v. Pico as legal precedent protecting students' right to access information in school settings. It also raised concerns about the financial implications of HB 1539, describing it as an unfunded mandate. While the bill allocates $3 million to the Florida Department of Education for a compliance "transparency tool," it provides no support for maintaining classroom libraries.
"HB 1539 empowers the State Board of Education to audit school districts and penalize them for noncompliance, including withholding state funding," the letter reads. "This creates an environment of fear and over-correction, where districts may remove any challenged book—even those that do not meet the new harmfulness threshold—just to avoid the risk of punishment."
The coalition argued that these measures appear disproportionate to actual parental concerns. According to their data, fewer than 100 public school parents have submitted formal objections since the 2021-22 school year, and less than 5% of students have parental restrictions on library access.
The letter concludes with an appeal to lawmakers: "Florida's students deserve better. They deserve access to books that challenge them, inspire them, and help them understand the world. They deserve policies grounded in law, not fear."
