Hillsborough County superintendent ordered to meet with state officials over handling of removing library books
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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Hillsborough County Public School Superintendent Van Ayres will meet with state leaders Wednesday to discuss removing certain library books.

This comes after Ayres was criticized for his handling of the situation during a school board meeting Monday night.

In a recent letter sent to the district, the Florida attorney general demanded that Hillsborough County Schools pull several books immediately, calling them “patently pornographic” and harmful to minors.

“I need to ensure that we don’t have these materials. We had a letter from the state attorney general that stated that we did have materials that were inappropriate,” Ayres said.

In response to the letter, the superintendent ordered hundreds of books on a state list to be removed from shelves and reviewed.

At the school board meeting, members expressed concerns that the process could cost the already financially strapped district up to half a million dollars.

“You have created a financial burden,” said Nadia Combs, school board member for District 1.

Combs also criticized the superintendent for not including the board in his decision to order the book review.

“I’m trying to process your lack of communication, the transparency, and also lack of knowledge and input,” said Combs.

“It’s incredibly important that people realize the amount of overage that the state has taken here,” said Stephana Ferrell with Florida Freedom to Read. She worries that Hillsborough County is being singled out to set an example statewide.

“I do believe that this is an effort to make an example out of a particular district,” said Ferrell.

The superintendent will meet with officials from the Board of Education on Wednesday morning in Miami.

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