is homework banned in florida

Florida's book bans: Which titles are being pulled from school media centers?

A portion of sweeping new legislation impacting Florida schools allows parents to have more input on what materials are available to students, including which books should be allowed on media center shelves.

Approved on March 25 by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, HB 1467 gives parents and members of the public increased access to the process of selecting and removing school library books and instructional materials.  

Around the state, calls by parents and citizen groups to remove books from public school media centers have started school boards along the complex task of reviewing the books' content.

Legislative session: Hits and misses: Election-year session produces fiery legislation for Floridians

Books in Lakeland: Polk County included in report on book banning issued by national anti-censorship group

These are the books that have been pulled for review around the state:

Brevard County

In March, the Brevard County chapter of Moms for Liberty provided Brevard Public Schools with a list of 10 books found in local school libraries that the organization says violate Florida statute against providing obscene materials to minors.

• "Damsel" by Elana K. Arnold
• "Forever" by Judy Blume
• "Lucky" by Alice Sebold
• "Monday’s Not Coming" by Tiffany D. Jackson
• "Not My Problem" by Ciara Smyth
• "Red Hood" by Elana K. Arnold
• "Sold" by Patricia McCormick
• "This Book is Gay" by Juno Dawson
• "This One Summer" by Mariko Tamaki
• "What Girls are Made of" by Elana K. Arnold

Two weeks later, the group submitted 9 additional titles :

• "A Court of Mist and Fury" by Sarah J. Maas
• "Crank" by Ellen Hopkins
• "Infandous" by Elena K. Arnold
• "Push" by Sapphire
• "The Haters" by Jesse Andrews 
• "The Nowhere Girls" by Amy Reed
• "Tilt" by Ellen Hopkins
• "Triangles" by Ellen Hopkins
• "Tricks" by Ellen Hopkins

Textbooks rejected: Florida schools grapple with questions after state rejects historic number of math books

Opinion: The 'banning' of school library books in Florida a symptom of life in 'DeSantistan'

Flagler County

In Flagler County, school board member Jill Woolbright filed a complaint about the novel " All Boys Aren’t Blue " by George M. Johnson, alleging the book’s content violated obscenity laws. An investigation by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office determined no laws had been broken.

Osceola County

Parents complained about a number of books at a school board meeting in Osceola County on April 19. Those titles were:

• "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Perez
• "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" by Jesse Andrews
• "All Boys Aren’t Blue" by George M. Johnson
• "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

Pinellas County

The Pinellas County School Board pulled the LGBTQ-focused book "Gender Queer: A Memoir" by Maia Kobabe , after the parent of a high school student raised concerns. The School Board’s review of the book found the content to be inappropriate for high school readers.

In a March press appearance in Daytona Beach, DeSantis spoke about the book specifically as being among problematic texts in school media centers, describing it as "a cartoon-style book with graphic images of children performing sexual acts."

More: DeSantis signs bill that term limits school board members, gives parents more say in classroom textbooks

Polk County

In Polk County the Florida Citizens Alliance and County Citizens Defending Freedom submitted 16 books for review that the groups claim "are age inappropriate and hypersexualize children, violating numerous Florida Statutes." 

Those books were:

• "Two Boys Kissing" by David Levithan 
• "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini 
• "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer 
•  "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher 
• "The Vincent Boys" by Abbi Glines 
• "It’s Perfectly Normal" by Robie Harris and illustrated by Michael Emberley 
• "Real Live Boyfriends" by E. Lockhart 
• "George" by Alex Gino 
• "I am Jazz" by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings 
• "Drama" by Raina Telgemeier 
• "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult 
• "More Happy Than Not" by Adam Silvera 
• "Beloved" by Toni Morrison 
• "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison 
• "Tricks" by Ellen Hopkins 
• "Almost Perfect" by Brian Katcher

Book review panel: Polk School Board set to discuss more books. Panels approve 2 more for high schools

Volusia County

In Volusia County, a book about the life of Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks was pulled from elementary school classrooms after a teacher voiced concerns, but was returned after the district reviewed the state-approved text. 

Walton County

The Florida Citizens Alliance submitted a list of 24 book titles to Walton County Schools that the group deemed problematic .

• "Dreaming in Cuban" by Christina Garcia
• "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon
• "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
• "George" by Alex Gino
• "Real Live Boyfriends" by E. Lockhart
• "The Truth About Alice" by Jennifer Mathieu
• "Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris
• "Unravel Me" by Tahereh Mafi
• "Sloppy Firsts" by Megan McCafferty
• "Drama" by Raina Telgemeier
• "Beloved" by Toni Morrison
• "The Hate You Give" by Angie Thomas
• "Killing Mr. Griffin" by Lois Duncan
• "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher 
• "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
• "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie
• "The Kite Runner" Graphic Novel by Khaled Hosseini
• "Almost Perfect" by Brian Katcher  

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Florida school district bans homework as children rejoice

There is no better time to be a kid in Florida than at this exact moment.

Elementary school students in 31 Marion County, Florida schools are free of homework for good after their superintendent issued a county-wide "no homework" mandate.

According to Chicago Tribune , superintendent Heidi Maier made the decision to cut traditional homework from the curriculum based on "solid research" stating that homework in elementary school doesn't effect academic achievement and has only a slight effect on older students in terms of improving academic performance.

But not so fast — these kids aren't getting off that easy. In lieu of traditional homework, students are expected to read for 20 minutes every night. Even though it is something, it's way better than sitting down and completing math worksheets or book reports for hours on end. To back up the switch to nightly reading, Maier cited the work of Richard Allington, an expert on reading acquisition. Allington said , "The quality of homework assigned is so poor that simply getting kids to read replacing homework with self-selected reading was a more powerful alternative."

Maier said students are allowed to pick their own reading material and will get help from teachers and librarians. Resources will be made available for children who do not have an adult at home to help them read. 

"We need to make our message clear and explain why this is beneficial," Maier said of the decision. The feedback on the change has been both positive and negative, and town halls will be held soon for more skeptical parents.

Although middle and high school students will still get homework each night, these elementary school students are in the clear. Enjoy it now, kids — you'll never get this kind of break again. 

WATCH: Is this the new fidget spinner?

An Entire County in Florida Just Banned Homework, Says to Read Instead

What do you think of this new policy?

As kids trudge back to school from summer vacation, there's one thing they likely dread the most: homework. But students at one county in Florida won't have to worry, thanks to a new policy that affects 31 elementary schools in the area, Today.com reports.

Instead of homework, Marion County Public Schools families will be encouraged to read to their children for at least 20 minutes each night. According to the Washington Post , students can choose what they want to read, and will get help from students and librarians. And if kids don't have an adult at home to help them read, they can get help from volunteers and even audiobooks. The policy only applies to elementary school students, so once they hit middle school, they'll have to do homework.

Superintendent Heidi Maier said she made the decision based on research that shows making young children do homework doesn't make them academically stronger, but reading to them every night does. "We are not only strengthening family involvement and strengthening the child's love of reading, but we are providing the teachers with more time to teach," Maier told WUSF , "and in the end, that's what's going to make a difference."

The decision received mixed responses, with some parents praising the change while others noting homework helped them know what their kids were learning in school, and it also taught their kids how to be organized and responsible. The Ocala Star Banner reports that under the new policy, kids will get paper "prompt" bracelets at the end of the school day, which will show words that reflect the day's lesson plan. The parents can then look at the bracelet and ask their kids what they learned that day.

Overall, there hasn't been a ton of research yet about the consequences of banning homework, but the small number of schools that have tried it haven't reported any negative effects yet.

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Florida county bans homework for elementary school students: Here's why

The start of a new school year usually means the return of children's backpacks brimming with homework. That’s no longer the case in one Florida county.

A “no homework policy” has been implemented among the 31 elementary schools in Ocala’s Marion County Public Schools. The policy does not apply to middle and high school students.

"It’s no traditional homework, no work sheets, no endless pages of workbooks. Instead our children are reading aloud with their parents at least 20 minutes a night,” said Schools Superintendent Heidi Maier.

The decision was based on research findings that show homework doesn’t benefit young children , Maier said.

But many experts argue that it does teach organization, responsibility and time management. And some studies, they point out, suggest kids who do homework perform better on tests.

The district’s new policy has set off an intense debate within the district.

Parent Heather Ergle said she was “stunned” upon hearing about the new strategy.

“The homework is kind of a little window into his day," Ergle said, referring to her 8-year-old son, Lake, who actually likes doing homework.

“I think that homework is good to have,” he said.

The sentiment is not shared by Lauren Roger or her two sons. Homework in their household has always been a battle to overcome.

“Homework has been a struggle. We had nights that we'd be sitting at the kitchen table with tears,” she said.

The new suggested guidance for parents to read with her two sons instead of homework has brought a sense of relief to her family.

"For us, it was like a happy dance here in the kitchen,” she said.

• National Politics

Florida has banned nearly 400 books in schools. Here's the full list

With 386 books removed from schools last year, Florida is far and away the leader in book bans in the country. The state more than doubles the number of bans of Texas, which is ranked No. 2.

The Florida Department of Education provided a list of materials that were removed or discontinued by one or more of Florida’s school boards in response to objections raised by parents of students or residents of the county where the school districts are located.

However, a new report by national free speech group PEN America says that Florida school districts banned upward of 1,406 books. The report, which looked at banned materials across the country, found 3,362 instances of books banned in the 2022-23 school year, up 33% from the previous one. Forty percent of those were courtesy of Florida school districts.

Florida leads nation in book bans: Florida is the nation's book banning leader, according to national free speech group

The group’s definition of a school book ban differs slightly from the state’s: "Any action taken against a book based on its content and as a result of parent or community challenges, administrative decisions, or in response to direct or threatened action by lawmakers or other governmental officials, that leads to a previously accessible book being either completely removed from availability to students, or where access to a book is restricted or diminished.”

The list included books that were removed following official objections as well as unofficial ones, such as from concerned emails. The biggest portion of listed banned books are ones school districts removed pending a review of their content.

Here’s what you should know.

List of banned books in Florida schools

Why are books being banned.

Florida school districts are banning books that parents object to for a number of reasons, most of which include the following themes:

• 48%:  Percentage of banned books that dealt with violence or physical abuse, including books that include sexual assault
• 42%:  Percentage of banned books that cover topics on health and wellbeing, including mental health, bullying, suicide, substance abuse, sexual wellbeing and puberty
• 33%:  Percentage of books banned that detail sexual experiences between characters
• 30%:  Percentage of banned books that included characters of color and themes of race and racism
• 30%:  Percentage of banned books that included representations of LGBTQ+ identities
• 29%:  Percentage of book bans that include instances or themes of grief and death
• 6%:  Percentage of banned books that included a transgender character

Florida school phone rule: New Florida school phone rules catches parents off guard. What else changed over summer

Who is calling for book bans?

• At least 50:  Groups involved in pushing for book bans at the national, state, and  local levels
• 284:  Number of chapters of Florida-based  Moms for Liberty , in 44 states
• 20:  Local affiliates claimed by Citizens Defending Freedom mostly in Texas and Georgia
• 15:  States with local affiliations of Oregon-based Parents' Rights in Education
• 81%:  Percentage of the 153 school districts with book bans that are near a chapter or affiliate of one of these groups
• Over 100:  Number of books  a single person challenged  in  Escambia Public Schools .

Contributors: Douglas Soule, C.A. Bridges -- USA Today Network - Florida

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Should Homework Be Banned? Here’s What Real Educators Think

Plus, what research on the subject really tells us.

Every kid dreams of it: “Homework banned forevermore!” For as long as anyone can remember, homework has just been one of those things kids have to do because it’s good for them, like eating their vegetables. But is it really as important to do hours of homework every night as it is to eat broccoli and carrots? New research suggests homework might not have a whole lot of value. This leads to a big question: Should we ban homework?

“I think parents already have enough stress just in providing for their families!” says one Arizona 1st grade teacher. “I can imagine one more chore of having to sit down and do homework with their child would add that much more stress. Kids don’t like doing homework, so it frustrates them, which in turn frustrates parents. They spend time fighting about homework that they could be spending quality time over a board game or family meal!”

We wanted to know more, as every educator should. So, we combed through recent research to see what experts say, and explored the news to see what schools in the United States and abroad have tried. Plus, we asked 40+ active K-12 educators to share their thoughts. Here’s what we found out.

Does homework actually work?

This is one of the biggest questions people have around homework bans. Is it worth the time students are spending on it? How many kids actually do it consistently? How involved do parents need to be? In short: Does homework have value?

What the Research Says

Educators first started asking serious questions about homework more than 20 years ago, when an article that evaluated decades of research on homework suggested that it might not be as effective as we thought, at least in the lower grades . But other studies on homework indicate that students who do homework as assigned have higher academic outcomes overall, especially in grades 7 through 12.

What Real Educators Say

Most of the teachers that responded to our survey felt homework (especially for upper grades) does have at least some value. Many, though, were less concerned with academic benefits and more with developing general life skills like time management and responsibility.

• “For older students, reasonable homework that is preparation for class the next day helps students learn how to manage their time, meet deadlines, and take responsibility for their learning. I am a fan of flipped learning—students watch the lesson for homework and then use class time to ask questions, work together, work with their teacher, and do the work.” —Julie Mason, MS/HS English teacher

• “In middle school and high school, homework is important because it helps build stamina and potential study habits for college or trade schools.” —Desiree T., elementary teacher
• “Homework is good practice for subjects like math. In other subjects, it is good for reviewing subject matter.” —Ohio 8th grade social studies teacher
• “The proper amount of homework that is relevant to the daily lessons will help reinforce the skill and allow parents to see what their child is learning.” —Joanie B., Texas 4th/6th grade teacher
• “It’s not beneficial; parents today have not been taught how to help with new strategies. They are also often so busy that they cannot be bothered to help so they just give the answers. I saw a lot of this during the pandemic and even after when I would have 1st graders tell me they knew the answer ‘because they just know it.’ Not to mention the students who would actually benefit from having the extra practice of homework oftentimes do not have the support at home.” —Georgia 3rd grade teacher
• “In my 8 years of teaching, homework has never been successful for families or me. For the majority of parents and kids, it’s overwhelming. It is also additional work for teachers to manage. This is another extension and overreach of the expectations of the teacher.” —Lauren Anderson, Ohio 4th grade teacher

• “Homework isn’t busy work. How will today’s youth become tomorrow’s leaders (or survive college/trades classes) if they aren’t practicing skills to the next level?” —Arizona 1st grade teacher

Should we ban homework in elementary school?

Most adults today didn’t have homework in kindergarten, so they’re surprised when their child arrives home with a backpack full of worksheets. Older elementary students frequently bring home big projects like making a diorama or creating a family tree, something that usually means a lot of parent involvement. Is homework at this age reasonable and meaningful?

Supporters of a homework ban often cite research from John Hattie, who concluded that elementary school homework has no effect on academic progress. In a podcast he said, “Homework in primary school has an effect of around zero … It’s one of those lower hanging fruits that we should be looking in our primary schools to say, ‘Is it really making a difference?’”

The general wisdom these days seems to point to less homework overall at the elementary level, with one huge exception: reading. The research agrees: kids need to read at home as well as at school. Most educators recommend kids spend at least 20 minutes reading at home every single day.

More than half of our survey respondents (56%) are in favor of banning homework for the elementary grades. They worried about kids not having support or resources at home and taking away their time for creative play or family activities. But some teachers still find value in elementary homework, especially for math and reading, as long as it’s minimal. ADVERTISEMENT

• “The common push for homework in elementary schools is ‘to prepare them for high school.’ That’s overreach. The elementary child’s job is to be an elementary child. We need to teach children where they are.” —Lauren Anderson
• “In elementary school, there should be a mixture of homework and unhomework activities. For example, a homework menu with a list of activities to complete for the month or for the week: Read in pajamas for 20 minutes, complete 3 math sheets, help cook dinner, have a family movie night, write your first and last name 10 times, help pack your snack, etc.” —Desiree T.
• “No homework should be part of the teacher motto—work smarter, not harder. Teachers spend too much time grading homework. I believe teachers and students should commit to making every minute count in the classroom so everyone can go home and just be with family.” —Jennifer N., 5th grade teacher
• “Students are learning new concepts. There is not a guarantee that someone will be able to help them with these tasks. Practicing incorrectly is worse than no practice at all.” —High school resource specialist

• “Kids should be encouraged to read [at home] and spend time with families and friends.” —Elementary English language development teacher

How much homework is enough (or too much)?

If we agree that that answer to “should we ban homework altogether” is “no,” then how much homework is reasonable? The answer seems to vary by grade level, as you would expect. But many point out the need to focus on the quality of homework over the quantity. And there have been increasing calls to let kids enjoy their longer school breaks without homework hanging over their heads .

A 2019 study showed that teenagers have doubled the amount of time they spend on homework since the 1990s. This study found that teens spend about an hour a day doing homework on average, which many would argue isn’t unreasonable. But in another study , kids self-reported doing an average of three hours of homework a night, which seems a lot more significant.

The National PTA and the NEA recommend kids do about 10 minutes of homework per night per grade level. In other words, a 3rd grader should do 30 minutes of homework. A 12th grader would do 120 minutes, or two full hours.

Perhaps more important than “How much homework?” is “What kind of homework?” Meaningful practice of what kids learned in class that day can be helpful. Busywork is not. And assigning really difficult work for kids to tackle at home, without any help from a teacher or other expert voice, is likely to simply frustrate them. Unfortunately, most teachers don’t receive training on how to assign homework that is meaningful and relevant to students. This is another area where we really need to consider a major culture shift.

While 75% of those surveyed say homework has some value in the upper grades at least, most feel it shouldn’t be excessive. Teachers stressed that it should never be used as punishment. Plus, it’s important to remember not all kids have the same access to help and resources outside the classroom.

• “Homework is important but I also believe it shouldn’t exceed 30-60 minutes a night.” —Desiree T.
• “I do think elementary students should practice their reading and maybe 10 minutes of math [at home]. That may look different for each child due to how long it may take them to complete something.” —Wisconsin elementary special education teacher

• “Elementary students are not too young to have homework once or twice a week. More than that would be too much.” —Tanya T., HS ELA teacher
• “In order to prepare students for high school, I feel 20-30 minutes of homework is okay [in elementary school].” —Florida 5th grade teacher
• “A ton of homework in every subject is ridiculous. But having to read parts of a book or an article and do several math problems should not be burdensome. And the benefit of those two things has been documented.” —Teresa Rennie, Pennsylvania 8th grade teacher

• “I encourage my elementary students to read a little every day to develop a love of reading.” —Meenal Parikh, Ohio 1st grade teacher
• “I think some homework is reasonable. Should it be a hindrance to other other activities or a major inconvenience? No. Some is good, but it doesn’t need to be an every-night thing.” —Patrick Danz, Michigan high school ELA teacher

Are there benefits to less (or no) homework?

Some schools have already banned homework, both in the United States and around the world. In April 2024, Poland enacted a homework ban for students in grades 1 through 3. In grades 4 through 8, homework must be optional and can’t count toward a student’s grade. Finnish schools are famous for assigning less homework at all ages , yet continuing to score highly in international rankings. So what are the benefits of freeing kids from homework?

Prioritizing mental health is at the forefront of the homework ban movement. Leaders say they want to give students time to develop other hobbies, relationships, and balance in their lives. When two Utah elementary schools officially banned homework , they found psychologist referrals for anxiety decreased by more than 50%.

In some cases, less or no homework can even have a positive effect on academic outcomes. One high school math teacher dramatically reduced the number of practice problems he asked his students to tackle at home. He also decreased the impact of homework on grades (from 25% to 1%). Now kids had more time to spend on just a few practice problems, and they weren’t stressed about getting them wrong. The result of changes like these? Higher standardized test scores on average.

Some schools have experimented with extending the school day in exchange for eliminating homework. This ensures that kids have more time to do independent work while also ensuring access to expert assistance. After all, not all parents have the time or ability to help with homework. And Internet access isn’t a given in every household. Keeping schoolwork at school means giving all kids equal access to the resources they need.

Teachers worry that kids who spend too much time doing homework are losing out in other areas. They want younger students to have more time to play. Older kids should be able to decompress after spending hours in the classroom. And everyone deserves more opportunities for family time and extracurriculars.

• “The stress and time surrounding homework is unnecessary. Jobs don’t require you take work home so school shouldn’t either. If a kid needs to work more, school could reach out with extra help, but homework is a waste of time. Home is for family time.” —Stephanie G., Maryland 1st grade teacher
• “Homework creates an equity problem. Not all learners have access to the same environment or supports at home as they do in school. The students who have supportive parents and resources (tutors, etc.) will succeed, while others will be penalized.” —Illinois high school teacher

• “If they work at school, they don’t need to work at home. We’re teaching them that it’s okay for someone to tell them how to spend their off-time. School is their job. I don’t like working for free; why should they think that it’s okay?” —North Carolina 1st grade teacher
• “After-school programs, sports, and unstructured play is MUCH more meaningful and impactful for these generations of students.” —Lauren Anderson
• “There are other ways to teach children responsibility and time management than completing homework that will most likely be ungraded.” —4th grade social studies teacher

One Teacher’s Take on the Value of Homework: More Cons Than Pros

One 4th grade social studies teacher from North Carolina shared their thoughts with us in detail. We felt they were worth sharing with a wider audience. (Note: We’ve edited and condensed their words for space and clarity.)

Homework Hurts Families

“There are multiple factors that work together that make homework detrimental to students and their families. Children need to spend time with their parents building relationships of trust and respect. It is difficult because during the limited time families have together, they are forced by the schools to give that up to deal with homework.

“Many parents are unable to answer homework questions to help their children as methodology has changed and evolved. Homework becomes a stressful battlefield. Children with ADHD, autism, and other challenges have such a difficult time keeping focus at school. When they have to do additional work at home, there are increased meltdowns and battles, putting further strains on families.”

Homework’s Time Cost

“Children also have less time to complete work at home due to how overscheduled families have become. Children as young as 3rd grade arrive home from their games as late as 10:00 at night. That is often their first opportunity to sit down to complete their work. When they come to school the next day, they become irritable, unfocused, frustrated, and unable to quickly grasp new material.

“In older grades, teachers don’t plan together and don’t understand how much is required of the student to complete each night. If a high school student has six classes and each teacher assigns only 30 minutes of homework each night, that adds up to three hours. I hear of many teachers that each give an hour each night. I don’t see how it is possible for a high school student to complete six hours of homework every night.

“The additional stress of homework for the teacher, students, and families is not worth it. Give families time to spend together, and free up teacher time by not having to hunt down missing work and reviewing what they are not grading. Allow children to have a better bedtime and avoid meltdowns at home, which lead to additional stress, anxiety, and depression.”

We’d love to hear your thoughts—should homework be banned? Join the discussion in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

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A Florida School District Is Eliminating Homework in Favor of Reading

A Florida school district is eliminating traditional homework for all elementary school students this year, asking instead that they simply read for 20 minutes each night.

The new policy — which will take effect when students return to school in Florida’s Marion County next month — is an example of the ongoing debate over the benefits and drawbacks of homework , especially for younger students. The policy will not apply to students in middle school and high school.

Heidi Maier, the new superintendent for the Marion County school district, told the Washington Post this week that she made the policy decision based on research showing that reading boosts academic performance for younger students, while traditional homework might not.

Maier cited research by University of Tennessee education professor Richard Allington , who argues that reading is better alternative to a traditional homework assignment.

A 2006 meta-analysis by Duke University psychology professor Harris Cooper found evidence of a positive correlation between homework and student achievement, but the correlation was strongest for students in seventh through 12th grade. For younger students, there was a weak relationship between homework and performance.

Cooper told TIME last year that he recommends a small amount of homework for young students. But other education experts advocate for no-homework policies , arguing there is not enough evidence to indicate that homework has a positive effect on elementary students.

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Homework Gap Could Be Back in Full Force If Lawmakers Don’t Act, Education Groups Say

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Millions of students who were unable to participate in virtual learning because of poor home internet connectivity when the pandemic struck a year and a half ago were handed a temporary lifeline, thanks in large part to federal COVID relief funds, which helped cover devices and broadband access for students in need.

But that money will likely run out after this school year, potentially leaving students in the lurch. Fifty-seven education organizations—including the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association—asked congressional leaders in an Oct. 7 letter to provide $4 billion in additional relief in an ambitious budget bill that lawmakers are scrambling to find agreement on.

The legislation—whose price-tag could be in the trillions of dollars—may also encompass many of the Biden administration’s priorities , including expanding universal free pre-kindergarten and offering students two years of community college for free.

The so-called “homework gap” —which disproportionately impacts poor students, students of color, and those living in rural areas—has been a persistent problem since long before the pandemic struck in March 2020. In fact, as many as 16 million students and 400,000 educators lacked sufficient connectivity to participate in online learning since COVID-19 began, according to an Oct. 7 letter the groups sent to congressional leaders.

But when kids were completely unable to attend school because they didn’t have access to virtual learning, the federal government allowed districts and schools to use a portion of the more than $180 billion in federal COVID relief funding to purchase devices and hotspots that could be used to help connect teachers and students at home, among a broad range of other purposes.

Congress also provided an additional $7.1 billion for an Emergency Connectivity Fund, which flows through the E-Rate program, long used to connect schools and libraries. So far, districts have applied for about 70 percent of those funds, or a total of $5.1 billion. The money has been used to pay for 9.1 million connected devices and 5.4 million broadband connections, the letter says.

But when those dollars stop flowing in June of next year, it’s an open question where money will be coming from to continue kids’ and educators’ home connections.

“Schools and libraries will have to come up with some way to pay for it themselves, which they haven’t budgeted for,” said Jon Bernstein, president of the Bernstein Strategy Group, which represents the American Federation of School Administrators and co-chairs the Homework Gap Big Tent Coalition.

Local and state governments may be able to help pay for the extension out of leftover COVID relief dollars or other funds. But if that doesn’t happen, “kids will lose access again,” Bernstein said.

That means, the letter said, that “students could find their online courses interrupted, their research projects and homework assignments impossible to complete, and their relationships with educators and peers shut down.”

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Updated List: Every Known Florida School District Book Ban, July 2021–June 2024

Audio By Carbonatix

A Note About Our List

What constitutes one school book ban, public libraries are targeted by book bans too. why focus on schools, shouldn't i be able to protect my kids from material that conflicts with what they're taught at home, why isn't my school district on this list, why all the duplicate titles, why the holy bible entries, what does all that stuff in parentheses mean.

• The first date is the date the first objection was lodged
• The second date is the date of the most recent action
• Next comes the instigator of the objection
• Then the initial status while under review
• Then the result of one or more decisions on removal
• Then the school year (or years) during which actions were taken

List of Florida Public School Book Bans by County, July 1, 2021 Through June 30, 2024

Alachua county public schools, bay county school district, brevard public schools, broward county public schools, charlotte county public schools, clay county school district, collier county public schools, duval county school district, escambia county school district, fau lab school, florida school for the deaf and the blind, flagler county school district, florida virtual school (flvs), gilchrist county school district, hamilton county school district, hernando county school district, highlands county school district, hillsborough county public schools, school district of indian river county, jackson county school board, lake county school district, school district of lee county, leon county schools, school district of manatee county, marion county public schools, martin county school district, miami-dade county public schools, monroe county school district, nassau county school district, okaloosa county school district, orange county public schools, school district of osceola county, school district of palm beach county, pasco county schools, pinellas county schools, polk county public schools, santa rosa county district schools, district school board of sarasota, seminole county public schools, st. johns county school district, st. lucie county public schools, suwannee county school district, union county school district, volusia county schools, wakulla county school district, walton county school district, no reported bans.

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Fact check: Fake list of banned Florida books circulates widely online

The claim: image shows a list of books that are banned from schools and libraries in florida.

In July,  a new Florida law went into effect that allows parents to register concerns about books taught in schools and petition local districts to ban them.

Nevertheless, many prominent people on social media have been claiming   that a slew of books were immediately banned in schools and libraries statewide by the law. They have circulated an image of 25 book titles listed on a piece of paper.

The book list includes novels that have been taught in schools for generations, including "To Kill a Mockingbird," "Catcher in the Rye" and "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." It also includes the Harry Potter series and the biblical Song of Solomon.

The image of the banned book list has been shared by American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten  and Star Wars actor Mark Hamill on Aug. 21 and 22.  Hamill's tweet  has racked up more than 30,000 retweets and 150,000 likes. 

An Aug. 21 Facebook post  featuring the image of the book list has been shared 80 times. The post reads, “Florida's Current Banned Book List. Tragic How Many Totalitarian Third World States Exist in the USA in 2022.”

But the list is a fiction.

While school districts can ban books through a process created by the new law,   Florida has not banned any books at the state level, a spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis told USA TODAY.

In fact, several works on the list have been recommended to school districts by the state  Department of Education .

Weingarten corrected and deleted her tweet within several hours of posting it. Numerous other posts featuring the list,  such as Hamill's , have remained online.

USA TODAY also reached out to Hamill and another user who shared the post for comment.

Follow us on Facebook!   Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks

No state-level book bans in Florida

HB1467, an education bill,  passed the state legislature earlier this year and was signed into law by DeSantis. It allows parents to review and contest all instructional materials, including books. The law also sets term limits for school board members , creates selection requirements for school materials and compels districts to hold meetings related to instructional materials in public.

Florida does not issue statewide bans on specific books, Bryan Griffin, DeSantis' press secretary, told USA TODAY in an email. Instead, under the new law, "the state sets guidelines regarding content, and the local school districts are responsible for enforcing them," he said

These content guidelines require specialists to review reading materials and  prohibit reading materials that are  "inappropriate for the grade level and age group for which the material is used" or contain "pornographic content." 

Claims that the books shown in the image are banned in Florida are false, Griffin said.

"The image is fake – as far as I see it, this is just a completely fictitious list," he said. 

USA TODAY also found no credible source for the list. 

In addition, at least five of books on the list are endorsed as exemplary of a "rich literary tradition" in a guide to the state's current educational standards for English Language Arts , including "To Kill a Mockingbird," "1984," "Of Mice and Men," "The Call of the Wild" and "Lord of the Flies," as Griffin noted. 

Fact check: State civics teacher training seminar in Florida was voluntary

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that an image shows a list of books that are banned from schools and libraries in Florida. Florida has not issued any statewide book bans, a DeSantis spokesperson told USA TODAY. Further, several works on the list have been recommended by the Florida Department of Education in a guide for educators.

Our fact-check sources:

• Associated Press, Aug. 22, Florida didn’t ban ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ as fake list suggests
• Bryan Griffin, Aug. 23, Email exchange with USA TODAY
• Randi Weingarten, Aug. 24, Email statement to USA TODAY
• Florida Department of Education, accessed Aug. 23, B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts
• Florida State Legislature, accessed Aug. 24, Florida Statute 1006.28: Early Learning - 20 Education Code
• The Florida Senate, accessed Aug. 17, 2022 Bill Summaries - CS/HB 1467 — K-12 Education

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can  subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

Skip to main content

Florida Supreme Court approves amendment language leaving the issue to voters for the upcoming 2024 elections and allows a six-week ban on abortion to take effect

Know Your Rights: A Handbook for Public School Students in Florida

If you are a public school student in Florida, you have rights. This handbook tells you about those rights, when you can use them, and when school officials and police can limit them. This handbook does not offer legal advice. Please use this as a reference for general information regarding your rights at school, and refer to your Student Handbook for your school’s policies.

If you think your rights are being violated, contact us at www.aclufl.org .

Constitutional rights do not end at the schoolhouse doors. The law can be complex and vague, especially with regards to the rights of young people, but students and teens should know their rights!

Our We Have Rights Student Handbook was developed to help educate Florida’s youth, their families and mentors on youth rights. This handbook does not offer legal advice and is not a substitute for consulting an attorney.

Our Student Know Your Rights Handbook is a guide that includes critical information for young people about their rights. Topics include: 

• Young people’s rights when interacting with police;
• Students First Amendment rights in school;
• Teen health and the law;
• How to file complaints of discrimination, bullying or other  harassment in a school;
• Students rights to due process when being disciplined; 

What the ACLU Believes

The ACLU of Florida believes that all schools should treat students with respect, and that school rules should be reasonable and consistent with fundamental American values.

We believe that students should be free to express themselves as long as they do not threaten or intimidate others.

We believe that schools should set a standard for reasonable, age-appropriate responses to student conflicts that promotes individual development and supports healthy school climates.

We believe that school rules should be enforced fairly and consistently, with no student singled out, picked on, or favored.

We believe that rules should be directly related to education and have an educational purpose. We believe that students’ behavior during off-school hours and away from school is none of the school’s business.

We believe that schools should adopt evidence-based discipline that helps young people grow instead of punishment that makes their lives harder. Such discipline may include restorative circles to help youth understand how their behavior impacts others, conflict resolution education to give youth the tools they need to navigate conflict and collaborative problem solving that involves youth in identifying and addressing their unmet needs

Many of the ACLU’s beliefs are not reflected by current law, and there are many beliefs we have that courts may not accept. The ACLU’s beliefs may someday be the law in Florida—issues that you, as students, bring to us may help us shape the law for future students.

Your Constitutional Rights (and why you should care)

Getting an education isn’t just about books and grades; you’re learning how to participate fully in the life of this nation. To really participate, though, you need to know your rights. Knowing your rights is the first step in asserting them.

The Bill of Rights includes ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution that were created to protect the rights and liberties of everyone in the United States, to give each individual the freedom to live as he or she chooses, free from government control or interference.

Where does that leave students?

Over decades, judges and Supreme Court justices have arrived at a range of different answers, resulting in a patchwork of laws that loosely define the rights of students in public schools. Some schools have responded to the violent and tragic incidents at Columbine High School in 1999 and at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 by cracking down on students’ rights and taking a “guilty until proven innocent” approach to discipline. Schools have also become stricter about security, searches, dress codes and student expression.

Schools should be safe, and students should not have to be afraid. But students must also be able to enjoy the freedoms that enable them to learn and thrive. After all, despite some restrictions, you do have rights, and laws exist that protect those rights. Schools are required to abide by those laws. But many schools routinely violate laws that were designed to protect students’ rights.

Do you think your rights are being violated?

Fight For Your Rights

Students often find themselves in situations where they believe their schools are violating their rights, but they’re not sure. That’s why it’s so important for you to actually learn and understand your rights so that you can speak up—in an organized, responsible, well-thought-out way—to change a policy or rule that you believe is unfair.

Step One: Know Your Rights

Don’t wait for trouble – do your homework.

Learn your school’s written policies by reading the Student Code of Conduct. You can usually find this on your school’s or school district’s website, or you can ask the school’s office for a copy. Find out if your school has an official way of handling complaints.

Read this Handbook to learn about your rights and what you can do if they are violated.

Step Two: Keep Track of Details

As soon as possible, write a statement about the incident or violation that occurred.

Include who was present, what happened, where and when it happened, and if you reported it.

Keep copies of any documents you submit or that the school gives to you.

If you feel safe doing so, ask for statements from witnesses, such as other students, school staff, and administrators.

Step Three: Find Allies and Organize

Organize a meeting of students (off-campus, if necessary) to discuss if and how the school may be violating students’ rights and what changes are needed. Develop a plan of action, which might include writing a complaint letter to the school board and school officials, sending out letters informing parents, writing to local government officials about the violations, or distributing fliers to alert other students to the problem.

Enlist the support of sympathetic teachers, counselors, or parents for advice on how to address the problem.

Contact the organizations or local attorneys for help.

Step Four: Meet with Decision-Makers

Find out who the ultimate decision makers are (principal, school district superintendent, or school board) and investigate what steps you must take to bring your complaint to thisdecision maker.

If you think something is unfair or unreasonable, speak up! Others might agree.

Stay informed

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An Entire County in Florida Has Officially Mandated a No-Homework Policy

Back-to-school season is often a time of chaos for moms. There's the shopping, the early mornings, and the struggle to get kids onto the bus on time. But families in Marion County, FL, have a little less to worry about thanks to a newly implemented no-homework policy for kids in elementary school.

Although Superintendent Heidi Maier recommends parents read with their kids for at least 20 minutes each night, homework in the traditional sense is taking a back seat. That means no worksheets or workbooks coming home.

The decision was based on research findings that show homework doesn't benefit young children , Maier said in an interview with the Today show .

And while most parents are thrilled about the news, others are concerned about their kids falling behind. Their reasoning? While homework definitely doesn't help when it's assigned in excess, the jury's still out when it comes to the relationship between how much they do and their test scores.

So far, all 31 elementary schools in Marion County have agreed not to dole out any after-school work for the upcoming school year.

It's also important to note that the ban is only for elementary school students. Kids in middle and high school will still be given take-home assignments.

Watch CBS News

Homework Banned In One Florida County

July 13, 2017 / 11:11 AM EDT / CBS Miami

Follow CBSMIAMI.COM:   Facebook  |  Twitter

OCALA (CBSMiami) – Twenty-thousand Florida elementary school students are probably celebrating after learning they won't have any homework for the upcoming school year.

The superintendent of the Marion County school district has banned homework for all elementary school students and is instead asking parents to read to their children for 20 minutes every night, the Ocala Star-Banner reports .

The "no homework" mandate was issued by Superintendent Heidi Maier on Wednesday to teachers at 31 elementary schools for the 2017-2018 school year. She cited research that shows young children do better in school when they are given a break from the rigors of a typical school day.

The research was conducted by Richard Allington, a University of Tennessee professor of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education. Allington's research found that reading to a child has more positive effects on children than homework does.

Maier added that parents should remember that the "no homework" mandate does not mean the children will not still have some homework. She noted some assignments, like science projects or research papers, will be assigned on occasion. However, daily homework will no longer be part of a school life.

The "no homework" mandate does not apply to middle and high school students.

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A homework ban law has been passed in America – we need the same here

One child every three minutes is referred to mental health services and a third of secondary school pupils avoid classes due to anxiety. it is time the government declared a national emergency and started introducing some radical solutions, says mental health expert horatio clare, article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

E very morning you see them now, walking, riding, or waiting for the bus – the next generation of our children are back at school . Some like Shakespeare’s “creeping like a snail unwillingly”, others horsing happily about, many on their phones .

The sight of jolly schoolkids lifts the spirits, just as an unhappy face or a lonely figure makes you quail inside. But the ones we really worry about are the ones we do not see. Although many are a-bounce with the joys of the start of a new term and seeing all their friends, a truly alarming number of children are refusing school altogether.

Earlier this year, a survey found that almost three in 10 secondary pupils are avoiding going to school because doing so would make them anxious, missing 10 per cent of school. It’s a doubling, post-pandemic, reflected in the same increase, to 17 per cent of pupils in primaries.

More than 93,000 pupils lose more than half of their education through absence. They face their days dark with resistance or fraught with misery. They plead, yell or vanish. They refuse to go. A report last month showed that 500 children a day in England are being referred to NHS mental health services for anxiety , more than double the rate before the pandemic began. To put this into perspective, this means one child every three minutes is being referred to mental health services in England, almost 4,000 a week.

And that is when they can get access to those services. NHS figures show that 28 per cent were still waiting for support from mental services months after trying to access it, while 39 per cent had their referral closed before accessing support.

Over 1.6 million school days begin with disputes and stand-offs, with beseeching, insisting and rowing, and all for nothing. In many cases, children’s life chances start to die right there.

Our children’s wellbeing elucidates serious problems with how we live and what we teach. While the reasons for the current distress of our young are wide and varied, there are core themes experts keep pointing to that include intensifying academic pressures and stresses related to the influence of social media and the cost of living crisis.

Our children require immediate action in how we understand and educate them. We know that teaching towards testing, rather than for the sake of fascination and discovery, has taken the life and vim out of classes and schools. Even worse, this is delivering poorer educational results.

In effective systems, like Finland’s, mothers are better supported by the state and are given a choice between work and early years childcare. Finns also have the world’s happiest and least-stressed children because they are assessed by teachers over a number of years, rather than drilled towards our hopelessly limited SATs at the end of year 6 when physical and mental development can still vary hugely.

“Reforms” to the national curriculum and ideological meddling by successive secretaries of state for education (there have been five in the last two years) have forced teachers to fill children like buckets with facts to be tested. The solution to falling standards in recent years has been to add more work but this has simply increased anxiety and stress for everyone.

Increasingly unmanageable levels of admin and box ticking have beaten freedom and joy out of teaching. Hardly surprising, then, that a quarter of all teachers quit within the first three years of qualifying, a third after five. The pressure is pushing children and their parents and teachers to breaking point. Interestingly, California has just passed the Healthy Homework Act which we would do well to copy here.

Aimed at reducing homework and cutting ill-designed assignments and excessive testing, the law is a reaction to 52 per cent of Californian parents and children reporting that much of the homework being set was doing more harm than good. It increases anxiety which throttles learning and, in many cases, it simply backfires. These American parents have had enough.

Anxiety is a ghastly condition. There is no inherent reason for it to be widespread among our young but the foundations of good mental health have been internationally established by researchers at the University of Nottingham, summarised in the Chime framework. It stands for Connection, Hope, Identity, Meaning and Empowerment.

Worryingly, so many of these core pillars for good mental health are becoming increasingly fragile for our young.

We have not shown them how many paths there are to making their ways in this world, and just how imaginative, creative and brilliant they can be. No wonder so many refuse school

Too much of a focus on communications technology has damaged their connection with each other, overloading them with distractions and social media, pushing them down algorithm-led wormholes; introducing them to pornography and violence while their brains are still developing.

If comparison is the thief of joy, the key years to establishing an adult personality are now being spent in environments of performative one-upmanship where self-worth is driven by likes and other spurious forms of affirmation. The result is a generation of children growing up insecure about their looks and spending their most vulnerable years in a world where cyberbullying is rife.

Schools in France, Hungary, Holland and parts of Belgium have banned smartphones. Many British private schools already confiscate them for the duration of the school day . Smartphone-free schools should be national policy for the state sector and the change should happen now. The evidence from Dutch children and teachers is unambiguous, yet Britain could still take years to make a simple improvement that could be enacted tomorrow.

Defeating anxiety means giving children hope. Our post-Victorian education system, designed to turn out factory workers, labourers and administrators, robs many children of hope before they finish school.

Our creative industry is one of Britain’s global strengths. But decades of hostility towards the arts, music and drama in schools and beyond means funding has been cut and provision for creativity which can bring so much joy – as well as money to the economy – is on life support.

I struggle to explain to my boy why he should spend weeks doing fractions that a calculator will do for him in seconds, while lessons on Shakespeare are reduced to confusing “bitesize” encounters designed as test material, rather than the reading and performance of the world’s greatest plays.

Why drill our children in tasks that AI will do for them while stunting their creativity, their imaginations and their senses of possibility? By doing so, we are simply robbing them and society of hope for a successful future.

The other foundations for strong mental health, as researchers at Nottingham found, are identity, meaning and empowerment – the very gifts that painting a picture, acting in a play, banging drums, throwing pots or singing in a band guarantee you. Being creative requires you to have a sense of curiosity, insight and self.

The upcoming reform of the Mental Health Act is a chance for Sir Keir Starmer, Bridget Phillipson and Wes Streeting to take out a national insurance on our children’s wellbeing. This should be treated as a national emergency and they can start tackling these problems in a very real way. Not only can fundamental reforms around school testing and smartphone use be introduced, we can develop a wider understanding of neurodiversity, and how this affects a child’s needs.

We have also known for decades how well vocational and practical education works in Europe, since well before those EU influxes of Polish builders, Slovak electricians, Bulgarian plumbers and Romanian mechanics apparently “stole” the jobs we could not do.

For decades, we have failed to explain to our young who they are or where they come from. We have not shown them how many paths there are to making their way in this world, and just how imaginative, creative and brilliant they can be. No wonder so many refuse school.

The government is bound to increase funding for child and adult mental health services (Camhs), which are in dire trouble, and for more special educational needs and disabilities (Send) support in schools. However, it needs to recognise that most distress, anxiety and depression are not markers of fundamental damage or difference but rather normal signs of sensitivity to a mentally challenging world.

If our children are to face their schools and the worlds beyond them with their heads high and hearts hopeful, they need to know and feel that we understand them, that we are making changes, and that in times of trouble, our systems can and will help them through.

Horatio Clare is a mental health campaigner and the author of the recently published ‘ Your Journey, Your Way: How to Make the Mental Health System Work For You’

What do you think would remedy the mental health crisis affecting our young?

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