TAMPA, Fla. — As students get settled into a new school year, Hillsborough County School Board members prepare for the future of book challenges.
On Tuesday, board members met to discuss book challenges in the county.
"I think we need more clarification from the Department of Education. I think seeing that we have two attorneys, we have seven school board members, and there still is a lot of confusion shows you that we need more clarification," said Board Chair Nadia Combs.
On August 23, the Florida Department of Education Board will vote on amending the rules surrounding instructional material.
The hope is to get more clarification on the process of removing books at a state level.
"I honestly feel like it's not going to be clear. And it continues to create confusion. And we have a process that we've been following. We don't have any lawsuits. We continue to make sure our librarians, who have master's degrees, are going through, weeding out, going through the process," Combs added.
Every school in Hillsborough has a certified media specialist trained to ensure books comply with state and federal laws.
"As they review materials, whether they're purchasing it new or receiving a donation, they're using the exact same criteria," said Kimberly DeFusco, the school district's Supervisor of Library Media Services for Secondary Grades.
Anyone living in the county can challenge a book.
If it's not resolved with the media specialist, an official complaint will go to the Educational Media Materials Committee. That committee consists of each school's principal, media specialist, and a group of parents.
That committee's decision can be appealed, sending it before the District Level Committee.
If the complainant chooses, the final step is at the hands of the school board.
Hillsborough has gone through two challenges. One book was removed and one book wasn't.
While board member Lynn Gray trusts the process, she questions the procedure.
"I have to ask, if the media specialist is doing her job, which she is, how does this happen? Why is the DOE going to give us a list of books that must be removed, not only from our library but throughout the state of Florida?" she asked.
Board members said they want to regroup for another conversation surrounding books in the classroom once the FDOE decides on any future changes.
