Parents outraged as Hillsborough County School Board continues to allow explicit books in school libraries

WARNING: This report contains some explicit material read at the school board meeting.

TAMPA, Fla. – Angry parents flooded the Hillsborough County School District’s board meeting Tuesday to read explicit passages from books that are currently in school libraries.

Parents, including some who are members of the group Hillsborough County Citizens Defending Freedom, hoped the school board would utilize the new law, which was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last May.

In exclusive interviews with Florida’s Voice, parents explained their frustration with the formal review process for book reconsiderations, which can take over six months – just for one book.

According to HB 1069, parents “shall have the right to read passages from any material that is subject to an objection.” If the school board denies the right to read passages due to content that is “pornographic” or “harmful to minors,” the school district shall discontinue use of the material.

However, school board members were silent as explicit passages were read by over a dozen people.

Other districts have utilized the new law and stopped parents in recent months including Brevard County School District and Indian River County School District.

During public comment, one woman read a passage from “Yolo” by Lauren Miracle which is found in Freedom High School.

“I climbed onto of him and started kissing him in a way that said very clearly here I am, I’m ready to have sex,” the speaker read.

Another title, “Anatomy of a Single Girl” by Daria Snadowsky, was also read by a speaker.

“Guy tries rubbing my clitoris with his fingers, he wiggles his pelvis back and forth,” another woman read from the book.

“This is ridiculous that this school – any school – has this book,” the woman said to the board.

Julie Gebhards, the woman seen in the first video of our story, is a Hillsborough County mom of six children.

Gebhards read an excerpt from the book “Invisible Monsters Remix” by Chuck Palahniuk. According to the district’s online book library, the title is found in Steinbrenner High School.

“He shoots his load, and then plants his mouth on your anus and sucks out his own warm sperm, plus whatever lubricant and feces are present. That’s felching. It may or may not, I add, include kissing you to pass the sperm and fecal matter into your mouth,” Gebhards said.

Gebhards told board members they have “such a big problem in this district” and she has been to the board meetings over 30 times.

“This is craziness. Absolute insanity. Are you going to get your act together?” she continued.

Gebhards told Florida’s Voice she believes the board member’s silence “expresses that they don’t care enough about protecting kids as they should.”

“I just can’t believe that they can endure this again and again, and still sleep at night knowing that these books are all still accessible to hundreds of students,” Gebhards said.

Gebhards has been an outspoken supporter of parental rights and protecting children against explicit books.

For the past two years, she has utilized her social media accounts to spread awareness – hoping other parents will become informed of content that is currently in the schools. 

Gebhards says the book review process can take over six months just for one book.

The Hillsborough County School District has a procedure for the book reconsideration process which is listed on their website. Parents are able to fill out an objection form. Then, the Educational Media Materials Committee reviews and votes on the book.

The Educational Media Materials Committee is comprised of members of each school’s community, which are hand-picked by the media specialist.

The parent can appeal to the district-level Reconsideration Appeal Committee and then to the school board. 

The district-level committee is comprised of the executive director and/or assistant superintendent connected to Library Services, supervisor(s) of school library services, supervisor of literacy, school library media specialist from the appropriate level, other district-level instructional supervisors or directors, a student from the level in which the challenged material resides, a representative from the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers’ Association, and a representative of the Hillsborough County Council Parent Teacher’s Association.

“There’s a loophole in the obscenity statute that they’re [book review committees] using every time,” Gebhards explained.

Gebhards referred to the Florida Statute section 847.001(7) which defines “harmful to minors” as: (c) taken as a whole, is without serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors.”

The district’s website says “if all three prongs of the ‘harmful to minors’ definition apply, the material should be removed from the library collection. If any of the three prongs of the ‘harmful to minors’ definition do not apply, the committee should continue to Analysis No. 2.'”

Gebhards previously challenged the book “This Book Is Gay” which the school board voted 4-3 to remove it from only the district’s middle schools. The book was appealed and made it past two committees who voted to allow it in Pierce Middle School before getting to the school board’s vote.

Parents were especially concerned that the book details “the ins and outs of gay sex” and how to use a “hookup app.”

According to the school’s website, “This Book is Gay” is still available at multiple high schools.

Two more books are currently in challenge process.

A spokesperson for the district confirmed the books “Identical” by Ellen Hopkins and “Blankets” by Craig Thompson were reviewed by both the Educational Media Materials Committee, and the District Level Reconsideration Appeal Committee. Both committees voted to keep the books in the schools.

According to BookLooks, “Identical” contains “explicit sexual activities” including “sexual assault and child molestation, violence including self-harm and suicidal ideations, profanity and derogatory terms, and drug and alcohol abuse.”

BookLooks also cited “Blankets” which contains “sexual activities, molestation, nudity, controversial political commentary, and alcohol and drug use.”

Executive Director for the Hillsborough County Citizens Defending Freedom, Debbie Hunt, also spoke at the meeting.

“It is abhorrent that you have doubled down on your book challenge process, taking months longer than previously to go through the process, instead of supporting parents,” Hunt said to the board members.

“Instead of removing books and considering it ‘book banning’ how about instead, promoting it as ‘porn purging?'” Hunt asked the board.

Hunt told Florida’s Voice they will continue to read more explicit books in future meetings. 

Additionally, Hunt said they provided the school board with a copy of 16 books they want challenged. The current rate is over six months for one book challenge.

Gebhards tells Florida’s Voice she has offered to help and sit down to “strategize” with the board.

“Let’s work together to find a solution. Or, we will just vote you out. We will make sure people know – and we’ll replace you,” Gebhards said.

Florida’s Voice reached out to school board members for comment and did not hear back.