State of Florida sues textbook publishers

The state of Florida has filed a lawsuit alleging a pair of textbook publishers overcharged local school boards for materials.

According to the Office of the Attorney General, the lawsuit accuses McGraw Hill and Savvas Learning Co. of “systematically overcharging Florida school districts for instructional materials in violation of state law and the Florida False Claims Act.”

The suit, filed Tuesday in Leon County, claims the publishers violated a state law that mandates the price of textbooks must be automatically discounted to match the best price offered anywhere else in the country. The state says Savvas and McGraw Hill knowingly violated the law charging certain school districts more than the lowest price offered elsewhere.