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By Matthew Impelli
Life & Trends Reporter
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More than 1,500 books have been temporarily removed from a Florida school district this week, including two written by former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly.
The Florida Freedom to Read Project recently obtained a list of books that have been temporarily removed from libraries in the Escambia County Public School District, which included encyclopedias, The Guinness Book of World Records and two books from conservative pundit O'Reilly: Killing Jesus: A History, and Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency.
According to Pen America, the list also contains titles from David Baldacci, Stephen King, John Grisham and Nicholas Sparks.
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In a statement to Newsweek, Escambia County Public Schools Superintendent Keith Leonard said: "I want to clarify that our district has not imposed a 'ban' on over 1600 books. Additionally, the dictionary has not been banned in our district. Any claims suggesting otherwise are inaccurate and should be disregarded."
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In a further statement to the Pensacola News Journal, a district spokesperson clarified that the books included on the list obtained by the Florida Freedom to Read Project "have not been banned or removed from the school district; rather, they have simply been pulled for further review to ensure compliance with the new legislation."
While speaking with Newsweek on Friday, O'Reilly said the temporary removal of his books is "absurd [and] preposterous."
"What I'm going to do is find out exactly who made the decision to temporarily take them out of the library in this county," he said. "And I'm going to ask them for a detailed explanation of why they did that."
"This is insane," O'Reilly said, adding that he is seeking further action by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to address this situation.
The list arrives amid ongoing efforts in Florida and some other Republican-led states, seeking to remove and review books that contain certain material. In Florida, a widespread book ban was signed into law last year by DeSantis, who is running for president, prohibiting those determined to feature pornographic material or describe and/or depict sexual conduct.
"House Bill 1069, signed by Governor DeSantis on May 17, 2023, and effective July 1, 2023, continues Florida's efforts to require school districts to be transparent in the selection of instructional materials and library and reading materials," the Florida Department of Education said in a letter to school districts, obtained by the Florida Freedom to Read Project.
In a March 2023 statement, DeSantis spoke about the book-banning legislation: "In Florida, pornographic and inappropriate materials that have been snuck into our classrooms and libraries to sexualize our students violate our state education standards. Florida is the education state and that means providing students with a quality education free from sexualization and harmful materials that are not age appropriate."
The Associated Press (AP) reported this week that a judge in Florida ruled in favor of Pen America and Penguin Random House publishers, allowing their lawsuit against the Escambia school district to move forward. According to AP, the lawsuit claims the book ban violates First Amendment rights.
"We are gratified that the Judge recognized that books cannot be removed from school library shelves simply because of the views they espouse, and are looking forward to moving forward with this case to protect the constitutional rights of the plaintiffs," attorney Lynn Oberlander said following the ruling, AP reported.
Newsweek reached out to Florida Department of Education via email for comment on Thursday.
It is unclear why O'Reilly's books were temporarily removed from the district.
Correction 1/12/24, 7:43 a.m. ET. This story and its headline have been updated to clarify that the books are not permanently banned and instead have been temporarily removed from the district to be reviewed by officials.
Update: 1/12/24, 1:57 p.m. ET. This story has been updated with comments from O'Reilly.
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