A book about Anne Frank has been removed from a Florida school library after a parent group complained that it was sexually explicit and downplayed the Holocaust.
The tome, titled “The Diary of Anne Frank: The Graphic Adaptation,” was pulled from the shelves at Vero Beach High School in Indian River County after Moms for Liberty raised concerns, WPTV reported.
Jennifer Pippin, chairwoman of the group’s local chapter, told the outlet, “We think the true history needs to be taught in its entirety, the Holocaust, the Anne Frank Diary.”
But he argued that it was inappropriate that the book featured images of the girl walking alongside nude idols, as well as a “graphic scene” where she asks a friend to expose themselves to each other.
After a grassroots parent-advocacy group complained to the principal, the school determined that parts of the book did not contribute to Holocaust education topics, WPTV reported.
Kyra Shaft, the district’s director of academic compliance and equity, said the original “Diary of Anne Frank” is still available in school libraries.
“When districts address Holocaust education, it does so without denying or minimizing the events of Holocaust education,” he told the outlet. “In these times, the content didn’t encourage the behaviors we want our students to have access to.”
The book—adapted by Ari Folman, son of Holocaust survivors, and illustrated by David Polonsky—was only available in the high school library. TCPalm reported.
It was one of four books removed from school libraries in Indian River County.
The other three — part of a series titled “Murder Classroom” in the Gifford Middle School library — were about a junior high teacher who was actually an alien with superpowers, TCPalm reported.
Pippin said they were inappropriate because they contained images of students with guns in the classroom.
“We don’t want students to think it’s okay to hit their teachers,” he told the outlet.
In “The Diary of a Young Girl,” a 1947 book often referred to as “The Diary of Anne Frank,” Frank described how she hid with her family for two years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
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“We will never challenge the accuracy of the Diary of Anne Frank books. True history needs to be taught,” Pippin told TCPalm in a message.
In the original book, Ann described how she asked a friend if she wanted to show each other their bodies, her desire to kiss him and her feelings when she saw pictures of the statues in her art history book, the outlet reported. noted
Indian River County recently created a “District Objection Committee,” comprised of nine members, including parents and district employees.
Shafte told WPTV that the district is proud that principals are acting as early gatekeepers.
“In the changing times and given the laws and policies, they are doing a fantastic job,” he said.
Pippin added that she has a list of 250 more books the Moms for Liberty group plans to tackle once the training is complete.
The Vero Beach incident comes as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis faces a backlash over the “Stop Voke Act,” which forces school districts to remove textbooks that support racial profiling.
