Significant changes are rippling through Florida's education system as counties begin implementing HB 1467, following Governor Ron DeSantis' latest directive.
All books in school libraries are required to get his administration's approval from now on.
According to Pat Barber, president of the Manatee Education Association, the county's teachers' union, the books can only be pre-approved materials or evaluated by a media specialist who has received training from Florida's Department of Education.
Florida censorship is coming to a school near you
The law's most frightening provision states that anyone violating HB 1467 may be charged with a third-degree felony. Teachers now have to worry about imprisonment if they say something to DeSantis's dismay.
"It's unconscionable to me that teachers would be put in a position that their good deed of providing classroom libraries for their students to instill the love of reading could possibly result in a felony," Barber said.
The law became operative on July 1, 2022. A June memo stated that a school district employee with a valid educational media specialist certificate must approve the library media resources.
All materials must be "free of pornography," "appropriate for the grade level and age group," and "suited to student needs and their ability to comprehend the material presented," according to Florida's Department of Education.
"Now, who would say that an important part of Black history is queer theory? That is somebody pushing an agenda on our kids. When you use Black history to shoehorn in queer theory, you are clearly trying to use that for political purposes," DeSantis said.
DeSantis reiterated that he will not approve a recently proposed AP course on African American history because he thinks it will advance a "political agenda."
Anything Florida Republicans dislike can land teachers in prison.
DeSantis, as a possible Republican candidate for president in 2024, is committed to upholding oppressive practices that burden people of color. A renowned civil rights lawyer named Ben Crump plans to sue DeSantis over his most recent political stunt.
What do you think about DeSantis policing school curriculums?
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