Babcock Ranch school board member wants to ‘quietly’ put ‘banned books’ in community library boxes

BABCOCK RANCH, Fla. (FLV) – A Babcock Neighborhood School Governing Board member suggested in a Facebook post that residents should “quietly” put “banned books” in the community’s Little Free Libraries.

The comments sparked concerns from some of the community’s residents who do not want their children having access to controversial books removed from schools for explicit and sexual content.

“Here’s a thought. We have the book sharing stations around Babcock. Let’s quietly fill them with banned books,” board member Tom Hall said in a Facebook post.

Hall did not refer to specific books in that post as other members commented that they “loved” the idea and wanted to “make this happen.”

Florida’s Voice reached out to Tom Hall via email twice and Lisa Hall via phone call and text.

In an email, he was asked why he wants “banned books” in the book stations and was questioned about children having access to “banned books” with sexual content. A response was not given, but this report will be updated if one is provided.

The Babcock Ranch community has charter schools including Babcock Neighborhood School and Babcock High School, which are governed by the Babcock Neighborhood School Governing Board.

There has been a national conversation surrounding controversial books in schools. The DeSantis administration and Florida Republicans have given parents more leverage to challenge books they believe are inappropriate for children.

Under a new Florida law, challenged books are required to be removed from circulation until a decision is made on whether they are appropriate for grade levels. Critics of legislation like those provisions have said the state is wrongfully “banning books.”

Some books removed from Florida schools include “This Book is Gay” and “Let’s Talk About It,” which contain sexually graphic depictions and writings.

Florida schools removed more than 100 books due to age-inappropriate material

Free Little Libraries are library boxes around communities that allow people to share books with residents that are part of the “book-sharing movement.”

The library boxes in Babcock Ranch were spearheaded by children as a “great addition for the other children and adults,” according to a 2020 Babcock Ranch Telegraph article.

The outlet said the libraries are located in the town’s Parkside, Lake Timber and Trail’s Edge neighborhoods.

The community manager for the Babcock Ranch Residential Association Office said this is a community resident managed library program that Babcock Ranch does not monitor. The manager said there have not been any complaints about the program since its inception.

Babcock resident Phil Cooper has three teenage boys who he does not want having access to challenged and removed school books that contain explicit content.

“Why is he trying to corrupt my kids with stuff that they have no business seeing or hearing?” Cooper said.

As a youth baseball coach who had to take classes on abuse, he called it the “behavior of groomers” to normalize sexual content to children. After hearing the report about kids starting the little libraries in the communities, Cooper said his “blood pressure just tripled.”

“There’s no business being involved with those books at all with the boxes,” he said. “Especially if kids started this.”

Another resident, John Kremidas, called it “terrifying” that a person on the school board made the comment about putting “banned books” in the little libraries.

“What does that say about the books that he’s willing to let inside the library at the school, if he’s willing to put them out on the street where kids can just walk up. They don’t have to check them out,” Kremidas said.

Both Kremidas and Cooper did not know how often children approach the boxed libraries.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has made it a priority of his administration to have explicit and inappropriate books removed from schools.

“If a parent wants to engage in that with their kid at those ages, then then that’s up to them, but we should not be putting that in the curriculum in school,” DeSantis said.

Democrats have criticized the new Florida law for allowing county residents to bring forth “unlimited complaints” about books.

“The fact that I as a parent, and anyone else who’s testifying, are suggesting books don’t belong in school libraries or classroom libraries, is not qualified to make the decision like a school librarian, or the teacher of those students,” Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, said on the Senate floor.