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A book about Anne Frank has been removed from a Florida high school library after a parental rights group raised concerns about its sexually explicit content that they said minimized the horrors of the Holocaust.
The book titled "Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation" was removed from the student library at Vero Beach High School in Indian River County after Moms for Liberty voiced concerns about its content. A new policy approved last month has also resulted in the removal of three other books in the district.
"We want children to read the actual diary itself. It's such an important work," Moms for Liberty confounder Tiffany Justice told Fox News Digital in a statement. "We want factual information about the Holocaust being shared with children. They deserve that and Anne deserves that."
Jennifer Pippin, chairwoman of the Moms for Liberty local chapter, told WPTV that the true history of the Holocaust and the story of Anne Frank needs to be taught, but argued the graphic adaptation was inappropriate because it features a "graphic scene" where she asks a friend if they can expose themselves to one another, as well as illustrations of Frank walking among nude statues.
Following complaints by Moms for Liberty made to the principal, the school decided that some portions of the book did not contribute to appropriate themes of Holocaust education and instead contributed to a "minimization of the Holocaust," according to a statement provided to Fox News Digital by the school district. The graphic novel was adapted from Anne Frank’s diary in 2018 by Ari Folman, whose parents are Holocaust survivors, according to the Associated Press.
The School District of Indian River County recently created a "District Objection Committee" made up of nine members, including parents, district employees and an educational media specialist that will meet if there are formal challenges that call on books to be removed district-wide, WPTV reported.
In "The Diary of a Young Girl," the 1947 book often referred to as "The Diary of Anne Frank," Frank details her firsthand account of the family's experience in hiding for two years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands before they were discovered and sent to a concentration camp, where Frank died in 1945.
In the original book, Anne described how she asked a friend if she wanted to show each other their bodies, discussed her desire to kiss her and her feelings when she saw images of statues in her art history book.
Dr. Kyra Schafte, the director of academic compliance and equity for the Indian River County school district, said the original "Diary of Anne Frank" is still in school libraries.
"When districts address Holocaust education, it does so without denying or minimizing the events of Holocaust education," she told the WPTV. "In these times, the content did not promote behaviors we would want our students to have access to."
"In these times, the content did not promote behaviors we would want our students to have access to," Schafte added.
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Moms For Liberty clarified that this is the only adaptation of Anne Frank's diary that was removed.
"There are multiple versions of Anne Frank’s diary of varying age appropriateness available to students," the organization tweeted. "Only this ONE version was removed. It is not an entirely accurate portrayal of the tragedy of the Holocaust and murders against the Jewish population because of hate."
"Students in Indian River County can access over 300 versions of The Diary of Anne Frank and history books on the Holocaust," the statement added. "In the school this ONE book was removed, almost 100 other TRUE copies of Anne’s diary remain on the shelves for children."
Justice said the graphic adaption takes away from Anne Frank's story and trivializes the genocide of the Holocaust.
"Great liberties have been taken with her story and for such a serious issue, the Holocaust and genocide, having this diary being really the most accurate and well known portrayal of intimate details of life during the Holocaust for Jewish people and for specifically Anne, a 13-year-old Jewish girl, it's important that children have access to and are reading the real version, not an adaptation of the version of the story that isn't written by her," she said.
The three other titles from the "Assassination Classroom" series were removed from the Gifford Middle School library.
The science fiction "manga" series, which is a type of comic or graphic novel originating from Japan, documents the repeated attempts by a group of students to assassinate their alien teacher, and includes sexualized content, as well as pictures of students bringing guns and knives into class. The series was later removed from a Wisconsin school district after parents criticized it for its sexual content and violent nature.
In a statement to the school board, the district superintendent David Moore explained the decision to remove the books, specifically the graphic adaptation of Anne Frank's novel.
"The book was removed due to the content being inconsistent with policy/statue and was perceived to be a minimization of the events of the Holocaust," Moore said.
He also noted that during the meeting where the book was reviewed, its members met with a local organization called the Community One Initiative that is dedicated to Holocaust education.
"During this meeting, the graphic adaptation of the book was shared with this organization and they were in agreement with this decision," he said.
Last year, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis passed the "Stop Wrongs To Our Kids and Employees Act" or the "Stop WOKE Act," which limits how teachers can discuss race and gender in public universities and K-12 schools. Under the law, educational institutions are required to ensure that all teaching of the Holocaust is historically correct.
Schafte told WPTV the district is proud of the work principals are doing to make sure appropriate material is available in school libraries.
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"In changing times and keeping up with statutes and policies, they’re doing a fantastic job," she said.
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