NASSAU COUNTY, FLORIDA, Fla. — Three dozen previously banned books are now back on the shelves at all Nassau County Public School libraries.
The district removed the books last year due to claims of "obscene" material.
On Thursday, a four-month-long legal battle came to an end between Nassau County School District and parents, students and the authors of "And Tango Makes Three."
A children's book about a true story of two male penguins who raise a baby penguin named "Tango."
A settlement was reached after a lawsuit was filed against the district in May. In the settlement, it states "And Tango Makes Three," contains no "obscene" material, is appropriate for students of all ages and has value for teaching.
"Tango" along with 22 other challenged books were placed back in the libraries with no age restriction.
Lauren Zimmerman is an attorney who sees this as a win for the parents, students and the authors she represents.
"I think they’re happy to see the book restored and not only their books, but other books," she said. "What this means now is that the students are going to have access to have a wide range of diverse views, diverse authors, diverse subject matters."
According to the 16-page settlement, the remaining 12 challenged books will be returned to school libraries but only available for students 18 and older or students who get consent from their parents.
Since the books were removed last year with no public notice or hearing, the settlement states Nassau County must form a review committee that will review the remaining 12 books. The review process must happen in public and will receive public comment.
"Parents, students, community members can weigh in and understand what decisions are being made about them and why, speak their opinions about whether those books should be removed, restricted or other," said Zimmerman.
At the end of this year, Nassau County must provide a status report to the plaintiffs on the remaining 12 books.