Here’s what’s happening and it isn’t just in Florida. Other red states are following DeSantis’s lead. Judd Legum’s Popular Information newsletter had the story:
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.
Kevin Chapman, the Chief of Staff for the Manatee County School District, told Popular Information that the policy was communicated to principals in a meeting last Wednesday. Individual schools are now in the process of informing teachers and other staff.
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.
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.”
In an interview with Popular Information, Chapman said that the policy was put into place last week 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. Instead, the law requires:
Each book made available to students through a school district library media center or included in a recommended or assigned school or grade-level reading list must be selected by a school district employee who holds a valid educational media specialist certificate, regardless of whether the book is purchased, donated, or otherwise made available to students.
In Florida, school librarians are called “media specialists” and hold media specialist certificates. A rule passed by the Florida Department of Education last week states that a “library media center” includes any books made available to students, including in classrooms. This means that classroom libraries that are curated by teachers, not librarians, are now illegal.
The law requires that all library books selected be:
1. Free of pornography and material prohibited under s. 847.012.
2. Suited to student needs and their ability to comprehend the material presented.
3. Appropriate for the grade level and age group for which the materials are used or made available
That’s pretty broad, subjective, criteria, no? I can imagine “Romeo and Juliet” being deemed inappropriate for high schoolers by some wingnut parents. And, of course, this is all a joke. Kids have access to things on the internet that would make the hair on the backs of these throwbacks’ necks stand up on end — if they knew. But they don’t. They are living in a moronic world in which reading literature is dangerous while their kids are on their phones all day in an alternate universe. They are completely out of touch.
But this is all performative anyway, right. They’re just doing this to flex their muscles and show the world who’s in charge. Most of them are ignorant twits being led around by cynical political opportunists. It would be sad if it weren’t so frightening:
Chapman says that school principals in Manatee County were told Wednesday that any staff member violating these rules by providing materials “harmful to minors” could be prosecuted for “a felony of the third degree.” Therefore, teachers must make their classroom libraries inaccessible to students until they can establish that each book has been approved by a librarian.
They are threatening these overworked, underpaid teachers with felonies.
In response to the policy, some teachers packed up their classroom libraries. Others covered up the books students are no longer allowed to read with construction paper.
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. If the book is available in the district libraries, that means it was approved by a media specialist and can be made available to students again. But any book not currently held in the district libraries must be individually evaluated and approved by a librarian.
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.
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:
I’m sure you won’t be surprised at the guidelines. Here’s just one part:
Education about subjects that rightwingers don’t like is now called “indoctrination.”
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, including “Critical Race Theory” and material that might make someone feel “guilt, anguish, or other forms of psychological distress” as a result of their race. The training instructs librarians to “err on the side of caution.”
The right has been pounding the table about public education for many, many decades and their fervor waxes and wanes over time. This isn’t new. They hate public schools because they are public, which means taxes pay to educate children they don’t like. And they also hate public schools because they are secular because they believe that while children should not be “indoctrinated” by learning about things their parents don’t believe or understand, they do believe that children should have Christianity shoved down their throats. This has been a battle going all the way back to the Scopes trial.
That’s not to say this isn’t dangerous. DeSantis is emerging as the premier culture war General of our time and he’s seeking power and his movement is a major force in American politics. They have a propaganda apparatus unparalleled in our history. But I’m a little bit skeptical that they will be able to keep kids from being “indoctrinated” even if they manage to get their phones out of their hands during the school day as DeSantis is trying to do (and which the socialist, groomer teachers would heartily applaud.) They can’t control the flow of information and kids know it. They are creating a generation of rebels — against them.