Florida Teachers Told To Dismantle Classroom Libraries
Teachers at a school district in Florida have been instructed to “cover or store” books in their classroom libraries pending reviews.
Diana Greene, Duval County Public Schools superintendent, announced the launch of a formal review of classroom libraries in an internal training video. The books, generally either donated or purchased by teachers themselves, are to be checked to ensure that they are in compliance with Florida legislation passed last summer.
Florida’s House Bill 1467 requires books made available through school libraries and classroom libraries to be selected by a certified media specialist.
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According to LGBTQ Nation, under the new law, books must not contain instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in books available to grades K–3; “pornography,” which the district defines using the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement; or discrimination in such a way that implies “an individual, by virtue of his or her race, color, sex, or national origin is inherently racist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.”
The law requires all schools to publish a list of all books in school and classroom libraries, in order to make it easier for parents to challenge books.
The formal review of classroom libraries follows explicit guidance approved by the Florida Board of Education on January 18.
“Books not on the district-approved list or not approved by certificated media specialists need to be covered or stored and paused for student use,” Duval’s Chief Academic Officer Paula Renfro says in the video.
According to a Duval County Public Schools release, “The Florida Department of Education has trained all Florida school districts to ‘err on the side of caution’ in determining if a book is developmentally appropriate for student use.”
As WJCT News notes, Duval Schools rejected 47 titles that were ordered in 2021, with an additional 26 titles from the same collection still under review. Multiple books with LGBTQ+ characters and families as well as books about Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, are described by the distributor as featuring “diverse, inclusive” stories have been banned.
Across the US, school and public library book bans have disproportionately targeted books by non-white authors and those featuring LGBTQ+ characters and stories.
In July, Duval Schools removed a training video aimed at preventing anti-LGBTQ+ bullying in schools from its YouTube channel. In December, the district ended its 20-year partnership with a local LGBTQ+ non-profit due to online misinformation. Most recently, a high school in the district canceled a student play featuring a same-sex kiss. Students alleged that the play was canceled due to the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law.
Read related myGwork articles here:
Florida Requires Students Records Of Menstrual Cycles To Play Sports
Florida Considers Extending Don't Say Gay Law To Sixth Grade
Florida Students Believe Show Stopped Over Don’t Say Gay
Florida Schools Roll Back LGBTQ+ Policies As Don’t Say Gay Law Takes Effect
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