Judd LegumJan 23, 2023

1. Florida teachers are being told to remove all books from their classroom libraries OR FACE FELONY PROSECUTION

The new policy is based on the premise that teachers are using books to "groom" students or indoctrinate them with leftist ideologies.

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https://popular.info/p/florida-teachers-told-to-remove-books

Florida teachers told to remove books from classroom libraries or risk felony prosecution

Teachers in Manatee County, Florida, are being told to make their classroom libraries — and any other "unvetted" book — inaccessible to students, or risk felony prosecution. The new policy is part of an effort to comply with new laws and regulations championed by Governor Ron DeSantis (R). It is based on the premise, promoted by right-wing advocacy groups, that teachers and librarians are using books to "groom" students or indoctrinate them with leftist ideologies.

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Show threadJudd LegumJan 23, 2023

2. Officials from the Manatee County School District confirmed the new policy to http://popular.info.

The policy was communicated to principals in a meeting last Wednesday.

Teachers are in the process of being informed now.

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Show threadJudd LegumJan 23, 2023
3. Teachers in Manatee County lamented the news on social media. "My heart is broken for Florida students today as I am forced to pack up my classroom library," one Manatee teacher wrote on Facebook.
Show threadJudd LegumJan 23, 2023
4. Another Manatee teacher called the directive "a travesty to education" that interfered with efforts to "connect with books and develop [a] love of lifelong learning."
Show threadJudd LegumJan 23, 2023

5. The new policy in Manatee, which is likely to be duplicated across Florida, was issued in response to HB 1467, which was signed into law by DeSantis last March.

That law established that teachers could not be trusted to select books appropriate for their students.

Show threadJudd LegumJan 23, 2023

6. Instead, all books in libraries or used in classroom instruction must be selected by a "media specialist" (aka, a librarian).

This means that classroom libraries that are curated by teachers, not librarians, are now illegal.

https://popular.info/p/florida-teachers-told-to-remove-books

Florida teachers told to remove books from classroom libraries or risk felony prosecution

Teachers in Manatee County, Florida, are being told to make their classroom libraries — and any other "unvetted" book — inaccessible to students, or risk felony prosecution. The new policy is part of an effort to comply with new laws and regulations championed by Governor Ron DeSantis (R). It is based on the premise, promoted by right-wing advocacy groups, that teachers and librarians are using books to "groom" students or indoctrinate them with leftist ideologies.

Popular Information
Show threadJudd LegumJan 23, 2023

7. The Manatee County School District is mandating that teachers make their classroom libraries inaccessible until they can establish that each book is approved by a librarian

Some teachers packed up their classroom libraries. Others covered up the books with construction paper

Show threadJudd LegumJan 23, 2023

8. Restoring student access to classroom libraries is a complex process. First, someone must cross-check each book in their classroom library with the district library catalog

Any book not currently held in the district libraries must be evaluated and approved by a librarian

Show threadJudd LegumJan 23, 2023
9. And that's just the beginning. Materials prepared for an upcoming Manatee County School Board meeting include a 21-point list of procedures to ensure that classroom libraries comply with the new rules.
Show threadJudd Legum
10. As a result, one Manatee teacher reported being forced to take Sneezy the Snowman and Dragons Love Tacos off the shelves pending review. Other teachers, fearing criminal liability, are telling students not to bring in "unvetted" books from home.
Jan 23, 2023 at 2:03pmWeb
Show threadJudd LegumJan 23, 2023
11. Librarians in Manatee County are now expected to review thousands of books in classroom libraries to ensure compliance with the new law. Any mistake could result in criminal charges. Manatee has 64 public schools and 3,000 teachers, many of whom maintain classroom libraries.
Show threadJudd LegumJan 23, 2023

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Show threadJudd LegumJan 23, 2023
13. The librarian's review of classroom books must also be consistent with a complex training, which was heavily influenced by right-wing groups like Moms For Liberty and approved by the Florida Department of Education just last week.
Show threadJudd LegumJan 23, 2023
14. Popular Information asked Manatee Schools Chief of Staff Kevin Chapman if librarians & teachers were expected to remove books that violated the Parental Rights In Education Act, known as "Don't Say Gay" or the Stop WOKE Act, which limits classroom discussion of racial issues
Show threadJudd LegumJan 23, 2023

15. Chapman did not answer the question, saying only that librarians are expected to apply the training issued by the Florida Department of Education last week.

That training, Chapman says, includes "new definitions of inappropriate material."

Show threadJudd LegumJan 23, 2023
16. "Don't Say Gay" prohibits all instruction on "sexual orientation or gender identity" in K-3 classrooms and instruction in other grades that is "not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate." But the law applies only to "[c]lassroom instruction" — not library books.
Show threadJudd LegumJan 23, 2023

17. The Stop WOKE Act is also limited to classroom instruction.

The teacher training approved by the Florida Department of Education, however, does not inform librarians that "Don't Say Gay" and "Stop WOKE" do not apply to library books.

Show threadJudd LegumJan 23, 2023
18. Rather, librarians are told: "There is some overlap between the selection criteria for instructional and library materials." One slide says that library books and instructional materials cannot include "unsolicited theories that may lead to student indoctrination."
Show threadJudd LegumJan 23, 2023
19. A subsequent slide provides a list of "unsolicited theories that may lead to student indoctrination," which includes information about "sexual orientation or gender identity." It also includes a variety of topics related to race.
Show threadJudd LegumJan 23, 2023

20. The training instructs librarians to "err on the side of caution."

As Popular Information reported earlier this month, Manatee County schools have already removed several books from school libraries because they contain LGBTQ characters or themes.

https://popular.info/p/dont-say-gay-florida-schools-purge

"Don't Say Gay": Florida schools purge library books with LGBTQ characters

In March 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed into law the Parental Rights in Education Act, which critics dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill. DeSantis angrily accused the media of promoting a "false narrative," insisting the bill does not prohibit mentioning LGBTQ people in Florida schools.

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Show threadJudd LegumJan 23, 2023

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Show threadBeckysayJan 23, 2023
@juddlegum this really disgusts me. I watched an interview with Grace Lin the other day, her book A Big Mooncake for Little Star has been on some banned book lists. The only thing in the book that’s “offensive” to these people is that the main character is Asian!
I’m in California thankfully, I spent the last 5 years before retirement building a beautiful diverse inclusive library in our child development center to ensure that every child would have “mirrors and windows”.