Escambia school board members ordered to sit for depositions in book challenge lawsuit

A court has ruled that Escambia County School Board members must submit to depositions in an ongoing lawsuit over book removals from school libraries, according to reporting from Courthouse News cited by the civil rights group Protect Democracy.

The order comes after school board members had sought to avoid answering questions under oath about their decisions to ban certain books, while simultaneously requesting that students affected by the case be deposed instead. A judge has now rejected that approach, requiring the board members themselves to provide sworn testimony about the rationale behind the library book challenges.

The case centers on efforts by parents and advocacy groups challenging the removal of books from Escambia County schools. Book challenges in the district have been a contentious issue in recent years, with disputes over age-appropriate content and parental rights in school libraries.

The ruling marks a legal setback for the school board's litigation strategy and could lead to significant testimony about how removal decisions were made.