Florida School District Faces Lawsuit Over Book Bans

Penguin Random House and five authors, along with two parents of students and the advocacy group PEN America, have filed a federal lawsuit against a Florida county school board over its decisions to ban and restrict access to books, alleging that it violates constitutional rights to free speech and equal protection under the law. The officials in Escambia County have banned more than a dozen books in the county school district's libraries and classrooms in response to a wave of challenges by conservative teachers and parents, disproportionately affecting books that address racism and LGBTQ relationships.