Parents across Florida have been fighting to get inappropriate books out of school libraries.
State education leaders thought they had one superintendent on board with common-sense policies.
But this Florida superintendent thumbed his nose at state officials with one book decision that left parents furious.
Van Ayres promised to do better but kept pushing boundaries
Hillsborough County Superintendent Van Ayres has been playing games with state education officials for months now.
Back in May, Education Commissioner Manny Diaz sent Ayres a letter demanding the removal of inappropriate books from school library shelves.¹
Attorney General James Uthmeier followed up weeks later with his own letter calling certain materials “patently pornographic” and harmful to minors.
Ayres got hauled before the state Board of Education in June where he supposedly promised to “do better moving forward.”
https://twitter.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/1923144023096664523
Turns out his idea of “doing better” was finding new ways to keep controversial content in front of kids.
The latest controversy centers on “Trans Mission: My Quest to a Beard” by Alex Bertie – a book that’s still sitting on shelves in multiple Hillsborough County high schools.
Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas called out Ayres on social media, posting a photo of the book and demanding answers.
“@HillsboroughSch continues to expose students to inappropriate content in their media centers, even after the State Board of Education addressed the issue,” Kamoutsas wrote.²
https://twitter.com/StasiKamoutsas/status/1952452294865514884
“@VanAyresHCPS I expect this to be remedied immediately or you can expect another invite to our next meeting.”
Ayres tries to have it both ways on parental consent
When caught red-handed, Ayres pulled out the classic bureaucratic dodge.
He claimed the book would still be available for students to check out – just with parental consent this time.
Attorney General Uthmeier wasn’t buying that half-measure for a second.
“Or… you could just remove this inappropriate book altogether,” Uthmeier fired back.³ “This is not good enough.”
But here’s where it gets really infuriating for parents who’ve been fighting this battle.
Parent and parental rights advocate Julie Gebhards did some digging into the district’s virtual library system.
What she found will make your blood boil.
“There are 365 book titles in Hillsborough County that match the search word ‘transgender’ in the virtual library,” Gebhards revealed.⁴
Three hundred and sixty-five books. That’s more than one for every day of the year.
Gebhards warned parents not to let up: “There. Are. So. Many. More. Keep the pressure on, and don’t forget, our BOARD (HCPS) votes to keep this kind of stuff.”
School board members blast Ayres for his secrecy
This isn’t Ayres’ first rodeo with controversial library materials.
Earlier this year, he made the unilateral decision to pull 600 books from shelves after getting pressure from state officials.
But even his own school board members weren’t happy with how he handled things.
Board member Nadia Combs tore into Ayres during a heated meeting, accusing him of completely shutting out parents and board members from the process.
“I’m trying to process your lack of communication, the transparency, and also lack of knowledge and input from me,” Combs told Ayres.⁵
“You did not engage with parents, you did not engage with our PTA, you did not engage with the union. You did not engage with your employees.”
Board chairperson Jessica Vaughn was equally frustrated, pointing out that the review process could cost the financially strapped district up to half a million dollars.
State education officials have already ordered Ayres to remove 57 specific books within two weeks – no review process, just get them out.
“My suggestion is for these some 50 books is just to remove them, don’t review them, don’t rely on some media specialist,” said Ben Gibson, Chairman of the State Education Board.⁶
Pattern shows superintendent playing games with state law
What’s really going on here is a classic case of bureaucratic resistance.
Ayres knows exactly what state officials want – age-appropriate content that doesn’t sexualize children or push radical gender ideology.
Instead of complying with the spirit of the law, he’s looking for loopholes and technicalities to keep pushing boundaries.
The “parental consent” dodge is particularly cynical because it puts the burden on parents to police every single book their kids might encounter.
Most parents don’t have time to research hundreds of library books – they expect school officials to exercise basic judgment about what’s appropriate for children.
State officials called out 57 books as “clearly pornographic” and “not in a gray area,” according to Education Commissioner Diaz.
But Ayres is still dragging his feet, still looking for ways to keep controversial material accessible to students.
Meanwhile, he’s spending district money – potentially half a million dollars – on review processes that could be avoided by simply following clear state guidance.
Parents in Hillsborough County deserve a superintendent who puts children’s wellbeing ahead of political activism.
Instead, they’ve got Van Ayres – a guy who promises state officials he’ll “do better” while finding new ways to expose kids to inappropriate content.
The pattern is clear: Ayres will keep pushing boundaries until state officials force his hand.
Maybe it’s time for Hillsborough County parents to find themselves a new superintendent who actually believes in protecting children instead of playing political games with their education.
¹ Amber Jo Cooper, “Trans book remains in Hillsborough school libraries despite warnings from state,” Florida’s Voice, August 7, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Tampa Bay Times, “Hillsborough school board grills superintendent on book removals,” August 2025.
⁶ WFLA, “Hillsborough County Public School Superintendent Van Ayres grilled by state education leaders,” August 2025.
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Author: rgcory
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