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Jessica Horton @jessicahorton.bsky.social · 14h

5yo: My pants smell like legs.

Reposted by Jessica Horton

Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 17h

Updated chart (even fewer restrictions)

Our initial chart misrepresented the total number of students with restrictions because the number given was based on the average percentage with limited access instead of the actual percentage. It also miscalculated the unrestricted average.

Student Library Access 25/26 Q1 Data

Default Full Access
Unrestricted 99.99%
Limited Access 0.01%
No Access 0%

The seven reporting districts included in these numbers are Alachua, Bradford, Calhoun, Franklin, Lafayette, Lake, and Polk. Four of the seven reported 100% of their students still had full access to the library at the end of the quarter. The total student population represented is approximately 174,500; however, the actual total number of restrictions across the seven districts is 38 and not 1,745 (which is based on the average percentage).

Default No Access

Sarasota:

Default- No Access 7.3%
Selected-Full Access 91.8%
Selected- Limited Access .37%
Selected- No Access .39%

Hernando
Default- No access 48.44%
Selected-Full Access 81.08%
Selected- Limited Access 17.38%
Selected- No Access .72%

The two districts reporting serve approximately 74,300 students. In Hernando County alone, 11,685 students have not been allowed to check out a library book due to a missing parent permission slip.
This is the second year where Hernando has required a form to access the library despite 10,084 of the 12,437 returned parent permission forms grant children full access to the library. They've created an unnecessary barrier to entry.

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Reposted by Jessica Horton

skellyton bones jensen @heykellyjensen.bsky.social · 18h

Read that again.

.01% of parents deny their children access to school libraries because it is literally .01% of parents creating the moral panic and spreading lies about books in school libraries.

Yet there are schools COMPLETELY BANNING LIBRARIES FROM THEIR ENTIRE STUDENT BODY.

Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 18h

Public school parents overwhelmingly trust the curation of library professionals.

When we enroll our children at a school, we assume the school will give them every opportunity to access the same resources available to other students without unnecessary barriers to entry.

We are still working on gathering data from across the state, but the trends that we saw the last three years don’t appear to have changed much regarding public school parents and their desire (or lack thereof) to restrict their children’s library access.

When the district assumes parents will want their children to access the library (most districts do), there’s usually less than 1% of parents choosing to set restrictions. While this data only reflects seven districts, six of seven (yes, we know what we did there) are “red” districts politically and the four with 100% access are very “red.”

Those that know that state well, also know that Sarasota and Hernando are also considered very “red” and they also have a lot of special interest activity and influence in their districts. These districts created a policy where they don’t want to assume to know what parents want, so the default denies students access to resources otherwise made available to the majority of students that have gained parent permission.

Sarasota’s form is part of the annual electronic paperwork that parents must complete, so they were able to retain 92.7% of returned forms. If parents completed the form in the past, the prior selection remains in the system until a parent makes a change. Hernando is a different story, and it’s why they only have 51.56% of forms turned in.

Denying library access until a form is turned in creates an unnecessary barrier to entry for students.

The truth cannot be denied: public school parents overwhelmingly trust the curation of library professionals. When we enroll our children at a school, we assume the school will give them every opportunity to access the same resources available to other students.

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Jessica Horton @jessicahorton.bsky.social · 1d

The fact that the legislative auditor used Rated Books to conduct their audit makes my blood boil. Those reports are biased, often include inaccurate excerpts from the text, and (as of recently) are AI generated. They should *never* be relied on to evaluate a book’s value.

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Jessica Horton @jessicahorton.bsky.social · 1d

To be honest, I’m really nervous for next year’s legislative session in Utah. These types of recommendations are going to lead to schools closing their libraries so they can “review” books to comply with whatever nonsense the Utah legislature comes up with.

Audit: More stringent selection policies could lead to less 'sensitive materials' in school libraries

The Utah Legislature is continuing to focus on the contents of school libraries across the state, this time honing in on the process of how books are selected to build out a library.

www.ksl.com

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Jessica Horton @jessicahorton.bsky.social · 1d

Utah friends! If you’re in Cache County, please show up in support of your public library. Get a library card! Write your council member and tell them why the library matters to you! Show up to the October 28 county council meeting! Tell your family and friends! Your library needs you!

skellyton bones jensen @heykellyjensen.bsky.social · 1d

The Executive Director of Cache County (UT) has proposed completely defunding the Cache County Library system: www.hjnews.com/news/communi...

Cache County Library pleads for community’s help as potential defunding looms

The Cache County Library, led by Director Brynnan Sainsbury, took to social media Thursday evening, launching a series of pleas to “SAVE THE CACHE COUNTY LIBRARY,” following news of Cache

www.hjnews.com

Reposted by Jessica Horton

skellyton bones jensen @heykellyjensen.bsky.social · 2d

UPDATE -- students in Georgia who've participated in the Reading Bowl have launched a petition to get answers as to why these 8 books were banned. Please amplify their petition and message, as well as the story here.

Petition: www.change.org/p/ensure-tra...

Image of a book with flowers on it. It's a flier from the Wheeler High School Reading Bowl team saying "Fight Book Banning." Under the image it says "We want open minds, not closed books," and asks people to sign their petition: https://www.change.org/p/ensure-transparency-and-change-in-georgia-high-school-hrrb-book-banning-process?recruited_by_id=1a6e97a0-a854-11f0-aa25-fd089d14a993&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink

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Jessica Horton @jessicahorton.bsky.social · 2d

My kids all somehow learned my husband’s phone number by listening to him recite it to the cashier for the grocery store’s loyalty program. But they don’t know my phone number (which is fine. I don’t mind not being the default parent for everything).

Jessica Horton @jessicahorton.bsky.social · 6d

Summer never ends for these patchwork pals 😊

A series of quilt blocks hanging on a white wall. There are three patchwork pieced sloths and three capybaras, each wearing Hawaiian themed shirts and shorts. The sloths have bows or flowers in their hair.

The pattern is by Elizabeth Hartman: https://elizabethhartman.com/products/capybara-sloth-pdf-quilt-and-pillow-pattern

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Jessica Horton @jessicahorton.bsky.social · 7d

Thank you!

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Jessica Horton @jessicahorton.bsky.social · 7d

THE GRACE YEAR x HELL FOLLOWED WITH US

🏳️‍🌈 Anxiously demisexual protagonist
❤️‍🔥 Slow-burn romance
🔥 Sexy thoughts --> violent self-combustion
👨‍⚖️ Corrupt Christo-fascist government
👹 Chaos demon
👵 Sassy grandma

#DVpit #YA #D #H #LGBT

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Reposted by Jessica Horton

Authors Against Book Bans @authorsabb.bsky.social · 8d

Hello #BookSky Are you still figuring out what you're doing for #BannedBooksWeek We'll help! Here's a framework for you:
1 Event or
1 Organization or
1 Person
Here's what we mean...

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Reposted by Jessica Horton

Let Utah Read @letutahread.bsky.social · 8d

These 18 books are currently banned in Utah schools state-wide. If you look closely, you'll notice a trend of female and minority authors, and LGBTQIA+ stories. It's important for us to come together, read and discuss these books, and fight for our freedom to read.

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Jessica Horton @jessicahorton.bsky.social · 8d

The threenager had school pictures today, and she was not having it. Her scowl was one for the ages. When I asked her what happened, she said, “It’s just so hard to smile today. So hard.” And yeah, I hear ya, kiddo.

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Reposted by Jessica Horton

Leanne (L. A.) Schwartz @schwartzwords.bsky.social · 9d

What’s wrong with this picture? While I’m a longtime supporter of Banned Books Week, I’d love to see more displays in libraries and bookstores showcasing the actually most commonly banned books—BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other marginalized books. Decades-old bestsellers aren’t truly in danger.

My kind of trouble held up before a banned books display reading “have you read these banned books?” With to kill a mockingbird and Matilda.

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Jessica Horton @jessicahorton.bsky.social · 9d

There is so much more I could say. But the toddler is calling. And that's the thing. We all have full lives outside of fighting book bans. But you don't have to do it all. Pick one thing a day to fight fascism and then do it. Nothing will ever change if we just yell at each other from the sidelines.

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Jessica Horton @jessicahorton.bsky.social · 9d

15. Do your homework. There are so many organizations and people who are doing good work. Read and listen what they have to say. Don't assume you know better because you're an expert in scrolling on the internet.

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Jessica Horton @jessicahorton.bsky.social · 9d

14. Don't fight censorship with censorship. We don't ban the bible to score cheap points. It always backfires and creates more work for those advocates who are fighting for lasting change.

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Jessica Horton @jessicahorton.bsky.social · 9d

13. Listen. Talk to librarians, teachers, authors, and other stakeholders. Listen to what they say about what they need and how you can best support them, and then do those things.

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Jessica Horton @jessicahorton.bsky.social · 9d

12. Get involved! Volunteer in your local school library. Join the PTA and help out with the book fair. Sign up for your local freedom to read organization.

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Jessica Horton @jessicahorton.bsky.social · 9d

11. Talk to other parents. Despite us being five years into this book banning madness, far too many people don't know what is happening. Tell them what is happening and invite them to do an action item with you.

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Jessica Horton @jessicahorton.bsky.social · 9d

10. Show up to school board meetings. Make public comment, look your school board members in the eye, and explain why a book has value.

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Jessica Horton @jessicahorton.bsky.social · 9d

9. Submit written public comment and/or email school board members in support of challenged books. Say why those books provide value.

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Jessica Horton @jessicahorton.bsky.social · 9d

8. Demand that books be reviewed in their entirety. Reading books as a whole means they are more likely to stay on the shelves. It’s hard to argue that a book has no serious value when you look beyond the cherry-picked passages.

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Jessica Horton @jessicahorton.bsky.social · 9d

7. Speak up! Advocate for policy changes that better protect students' right to read.

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