Florida Freedom to Read Project
@FLFreedomRead
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FL public school parents who believe school libraries & curriculum should be a place for all children to access information & ideas #FReadom #LetFloridaRead
Florida, USA
Joined January 2022
We’ve heard you can raise hundreds of thousands of dollars selling tees 😉. Now, we didn’t come up with any hypocritical slogans or use Zapf Chauncey font, but we think our designs are pretty awesome.
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Yesterday we logged almost 200 challenges- about 150 of those resulted in immediate removals. This is a picture of all the books removed from one HS library, in one day, in one District, due to the objections of one man. This is not freedom. #FreeTheBooks
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What a carefully worded statement. The books are restricted from lower grades within the school. They are now stored on shelves available to grades 6-8 after a parent objection that demanded full removal. A compromise that sacrifices some student access is still censorship.
In order to ensure accurate information, @MDCPS is compelled to clarify that the book titled, “The Hill We Climb” by @TheAmandaGorman was never banned or removed from one of our schools. The book is available in the media center as part of the middle grades collection.
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Confessions from a FL Teacher: After learning an excerpt from THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK was challenged in her school’s curriculum for being age inappropriate, this teacher shared a common note of exhaustion. The attacks on their personal library collections are unnecessary….
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“I am shocked to discover that America has such an attachment to ignorance. I thought we were better than this…Well, we’re not. So we have to deal with it. We have to fight back. And then we have to continue to tell the truth.” @levarburton
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Thank you to those who share our outrage over so many important, diverse stories being removed in FL schools. We don’t have a PR team or deep pockets to get the word out, so we are grateful for the RTs. The librarian who shared the image w/ us has this message:
Yesterday we logged almost 200 challenges- about 150 of those resulted in immediate removals. This is a picture of all the books removed from one HS library, in one day, in one District, due to the objections of one man. This is not freedom. #FreeTheBooks
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“During a hearing in Tallahassee, the Trump-appointed judge asked a representative of Florida AG Ashley Moody's office if, for example, the state believed an official could selectively remove school library books written by Democrat politicians…”
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@FredTJoseph Thank you for writing amazing books! . Please know there are parents and educators in FL in every district fighting back, but it isn’t easy under the GOP machine. We are demanding education leaders put our students first, and stop w/ fear-based decisions.
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“Fascism isn’t just going to show up one day and say, ‘I’m here,’ and take all your rights away. It’s creeping in, in increments, and this is the start … right now it’s blatant, in our face, and they’re starting with the books.” - Lisa Superina.
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“…Attorney Bridget O'Hickey replied in the affirmative. If Floridians didn't like it, she added, they could vote that official out.”. Thank you @DouglasSoule for this reporting. This is NOT a culture war. This is an attack on our civil liberties.
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We were surprised to see the graphic novel LITTLE ROCK NINE on the FLDOE survey results for removed books in Wakulla Schools. We reached out for documentation on the removal, and this is what we received this morning. Segregation & Brown v. BOE are taught in grade 4.
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@WSHSNNLib It’s really terrible policy updates that came over the summer in an effort to “err on the side of caution” and remove books while they await their review. This man figured out by flooding the system he could get the books removed for years. They only review 3-4 books/month.
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“I live in Key West…[we have] a governor who wants to control everything, starting with what kids can think, what they can know, what they can question, what they can learn, and now even what they can talk about.” @judyblume
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“16 books challenged for inappropriate content will remain on school library shelves…The board, in a 4 to 1 vote, AGREED WITH THE RECOMMENDATION OF A 34-MEMBER REVIEW COMMITTEE to keep the books in the public schools.”. More 👏 of 👏 this 👏 please! 👏
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The picture book THAT’S BETTY: THE STORY OF BETTY WHITE was added to the restricted list in @ecpsfl today. Challenged for being “content and age inappropriate” as outlined in HB1557!. (yes, it’s Vicki again)
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"Governor DeSantis' so-called 'war on woke' is really a war on honest education, on children, and on families. It's racism, anti-Semitism and homophobia cloaked as parents' rights—but moms aren't buying it.” - Nina Perez, @MomsRising
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After a parent complained the film RUBY BRIDGES was inappropriate for classroom use (even though parents gave permission) @my_pcs removed it. The community rejected the censorship & the film is back curriculum. Local parents have arranged a screening.
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@CBSSunday Parents in FL & around the country are pushing back against M4L’s book bans in our school & public libraries, but none of that is covered here. Why were they not presented with the picture & history books their group fought to remove and asked why?.
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“We are angry. We are frustrated. We are insulted; our degree, required by the state, means less than one parent’s right to choose. They will now mandate what is selected based on their biased personal beliefs, and not our professional degrees.”
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Are you a Florida parent uncomfortable with the idea of your child using PragerU materials?. You have the right to opt-out. Here are two easy email templates to choose from:.
Watch & share: @FloridaEA President @AndrewSparFEA talks about Florida’s new “conservative curriculum” and what it means for students and educators.
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.@Pink says that at her upcoming concerts, she will be giving away thousands of books that are prohibited in the Sunshine State’s public schools. We keep a (long) list on our website that is updated weekly!
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“One of the foundations of education is to develop critical, informed, compassionate citizens because we think that’s fundamental to democracy. And we think that democracy doesn’t work unless children are educated and they understand various perspectives.”
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“This poem hoax. And so what this is, this is some book of poems. I never heard of it,” DeSantis said regarding “The Hill We Climb,” which was read at President Joe Biden’s inauguration. (This man wants to be President)
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@DouglasSoule “Winsor also asked O'Hickey if she thought the government speech doctrine applied to public libraries. She indicated that was the state's take, but said it applied more forcefully to public school libraries.”. Paying attention yet?.
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Remember that school district DeSantis spoke about freedom at yesterday (@oneclayschools)? . Well, they just added another 50+ books to their list of removed books that are out until they complete the challenge, review and appeal process. The total now is 355 since July 1, 2022.
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The Hill We Climb is making headlines, but please don’t forget there are three other titles - titles clearly written for elementary school readers - that are restricted too. We need to get The ABCs of Black History, Love to Langston, & Cuban Kids back on K-5 shelves too!.
It's not just @TheAmandaGorman. This book was challenged in Miami Dade county for "CRT and gender ideology" by a single parent, too. The district acknowledged it was written for kids aged 5+, but decided it was inappropriate before 6th grade. 👀 🧵
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Diaz said teachers' concerns are unwarranted because only materials deemed "harmful to minors" would result in a felony. This is cold comfort because right-wing activists & govt allies consider books by Toni Morrison pornography. @JuddLegum
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What happens when you have a law that requires every book in K5 be approved by a certified media specialists and catalogued online, and other ones that are unclear as to whether or not they apply to voluntary reading, but also no certified media specialists in the district? THIS.
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“DeSantis wants to pretend that Black history isn’t American history. Leaders like him are the reason why FL has seen a huge surge in hate crimes & acts of racism over 2yrs. Kids deserve to go to school to learn history, not hate,” @MaxwellFrostFL
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@HjelmRo One parent tried to challenge the Bible in Escambia. You need to see how they justified not taking the good book through review while allowing complaints for “anti-white agenda” and “gay agenda” to go through a review committee.
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“@TheAmandaGorman’s poem calls for bridging our divides to enable our country to live up to its promise, declaring this an incomplete project. The idea that this represents hate and indoctrination is farcical.”.
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“It never caused a stir until this year, as parents across Florida exert increased powers to question what children can see and read in schools.” @JeffSolochek. A Disney movie about Ruby Bridges. It’s not a hoax. Power to the loudest parent.
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“I’m done! I’m done! What do I do now?” Every teacher, in every classroom, hears this many (thousands) of times daily from their students. In my classroom, for more than a decade, the answer has always been “Get a book and read.” That is until last week…
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And the books we’re talking about: one is intended for grades K-3, two are intended for grades 3-6, and the last is Amanda Gorman’s historic, inaugural poem delivered to an audience of all ages. Middle schools shelves are not the only “age appropriate” shelves for these books.
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Thank you to our advocates on the ground in Manatee that advocated for all students to have access to classroom libraries! They are back open! @Marie_Masferrer thanks for leading the charge!
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Parent-led orgs like us, @momsforsj and @_dofd are not going to let a minority of parent voices set the standard of what is appropriate information for our students to learn. Their fight isn’t about parental rights. It’s about control.
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"Are we removing books from any school/media center, Prek-12 if a character has, for example, 2 mothers or because there is a gay best friend or a main character is gay?" the librarians asked. Charlotte County Superintendent Mark Vianello answered, "Yes."
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Today the @orlandosentinel featured our research in print. This image contains the names of 673 titles currently not allowed in Orange County classroom libraries. There are over 1500 off the shelves of all media centers in Escambia County Schools.
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“If you just don’t want it for your one child, that’s parenting, but if you are trying to limit the access for other people’s children without a robust understanding of what they want, to me that is censorship.” @jessicavaughnsb . We agree!
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Both of these books are intended for the same age group. Both of these books include references to sexual orientation & kissing. Only one has been banned from elementary libraries in at least 12 districts because of HB1557. FLDOE & FLGOP know it’s discriminatory & don’t care.
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@DouglasSoule And yet the FOX News headline downplays the chipping away of First Amendment rights. Where are the “classic” Conservatives that argue against big government?
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“Almost 60 percent of K-12 parents polled said they oppose book bans from school boards, and two-thirds said they oppose state lawmakers’ bans.”. A small govt solution to respect parents’ rights: allow parents to set individual restrictions for their child
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They don’t want to be called book banners. They want you to see their efforts, calling for removal of “age inappropriate” content from our libraries, as benign & necessary to “protect” our kids. Pick an era in history & think about what was declared “inappropriate” & by whom….
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The children are speaking up. Their voices matter. This is their education - the one promised to them in the Florida Constitution. This is not a hoax. The children know that. Their parents know that. Stop spinning it. Start fixing it.
Surprised by the List of Banned Books in FL, 3rd Grade Reader Sits Down and Writes a Letter to Ron DeSantis. @GovRonDeSantis @POTUS @FLFreedomRead.
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@antoneta_silva 👏 We proposed similar to many of the districts that are revising their challenge policy to comply with HB1467 right now. Books stay on the shelf, there should be a charge (just like PRRs) to cover the cost to review the books & a limit to how many you can submit at once.
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“��FL is the undisputed champ. A 2022 study found that Florida had the most teacher vacancies in the country, followed by Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama (all Morrison Eighteen states). Florida also logged the highest number of underqualified teachers.”
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Firestorm Books in Asheville, North Carolina, took charge of 22,500 books. These books were removed from the @DuvalSchools system in Florida. Their mission is to return these books to the community where they originated i.e. Florida.
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This is a book that was in the library, not curriculum. It is written at a third grade reading level and covers topics that are part of fourth grade standards. But, we “err on the side of caution” now and curate our libraries for the younger readers accessing the library.
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Florida educators are reporting that access to BrainPop may be restricted - certain topics like Jim Crow, Brown v. Board of Ed, the Tulsa Massacre, and September 11th get this message, but in some districts all use of the app has ceased.
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It’s clear that the DeSantis admin believes some speech is ‘harmful to minors’ but other speech can be forced upon thousands of families visiting our state w/o any need to condemn it + expanding their right to carry guns while doing it. #Priorities
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Just a reminder that the FL Board of Education just closed thousands of classroom libraries across the state until they can be cataloged and approved by a Media Specialist in their district (if there is one) because 1% of parents in FL are worried about this.
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@DouglasSoule The FOX News article covering the hearing avoids any explanation of the plaintiffs’ argument or the judge’s concerns, and they did not report that the state’s argument also applies to public libraries!.
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For those asking about the teacher under investigation in Spring Hill, FL for showing the Disney movies, you can hear directly from her about what prompted the investigation. #TikTok
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Imagine arguing that a 7-yr old is mature enough to testify for 90 minutes before a judge on his/her right to access a book in the library, but also arguing he is not old enough to access a book about two male penguins who worked together to hatch and egg.
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DCPS have sent about 60 tons of library books to a paper recycling center in GA since FL passed its new book review law last year. That’s almost 2x as many tons as the district sent for recycling the year prior, according to recycling logs.
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When people in charge of education label a book “pornography” because it describes sexual assault, do you think they take a moment to reflect on the message they are sending to teens about sexual assault?. Sexual assault is NOT pornography. It’s violence.
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“We will not change the tide of book bans and defunding of libraries by sharing a hashtag. We’ll do it by showing up, speaking out, and getting others to do the same thing.”. Grab a friend or two and make a commitment to start showing up in your district.
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For those not paying attention: . You will get fired from your govt job in FL for not being silent about things you know are wrong. You will also get fired under guise of “accountability” for complying and revealing how truly terrible these laws are.
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A government body declared protected speech written for all as not “age appropriate” for K-5 self-selection in a public school library. And the basis for the investigation was full of inaccuracies and mischaracterizations.
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We have our priorities all wrong here. Citizens drinking from a “Don’t Tread on Me” cup while asking the School Board to remove books they don’t like from the library (and getting it).
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The local Media Specialist and Principal acted without any guidance, interpreting a vague law with punitive action. This is the chilling effect at work. Strong leadership and guidance is needed to fix this, and all our educators get from the FLDOE is scapegoating.
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Toni Morrison’s books have been permanently removed in Clay, Orange, Volusia, Okaloosa, Indian River, Jackson, Hamilton, Martin, & Collier due to HB 1069. Removals pending review & parent permission required for use in AP classes in many other districts.
Florida leads the nation in book bans. Ron is on a banning binge and a cultural purge. Freedom of speech means nothing to him. Florida isn't a state of freedom. It's a state of fear.
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The FLDOE has continuously played these removals off as local overreactions, and downplayed their role having created rules that result in a loss of certification if found in violation of HB7 & HB1557 (while never clarifying if these laws apply to library books). We blame them.
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Google Removes PragerU App From Play Store Citing 'Hate Speech Policy'. 🤔 Wonder what type of response this news will garner from Florida leaders where we have approved use of this curriculum in our public schools?
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DeSantis runs a tight ship (of fear) and delivers…for his donors. Welcome to the “free” state of Florida, everyone.
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“I am not going to lay these books in these little babies’ hands. I’m not stopping. These books are coming off the shelves.” - BM Rodriguez . The book was available in HS. How are our teens “babies” & also able to work til close on a school night?
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Today in FL: a Media Specialist was directed to lock her library to prevent students from entering. Apparently, the banned books display (not banned in the district, but historically) was a threat to students. Once removal was verified, the doors were unlocked for book club.
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Over $3M spent by the Department of Education on ads against Amendment 3 and 4. That money could have provided a small classroom library grant for first year elementary teachers to help ensure every K-5 student has a classroom library.
To explain: Over the past few weeks, four state agencies have ordered ~$16.2 million worth of advertising from the same Tallahassee-based marketing agency.
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Overnight Marion County Public Schools added a new book under “quarantine” (temporary ban): . NOT QUITE NARWAL by Jessie Sima. It’s the 56th book awaiting review, and the 63rd to go on the list. This is not a hoax.
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One R rep repeated a regular talking point: if parents knew what was on the shelf, they would want this government oversight. Parents know enough to not be concerned over books on a shelf. We would like government oversight of guns, but they aren’t pushing for that.
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Earlier this year we went viral after sharing this picture of a cart. All of the titles were removed from a single high school in one day because bad policy removes the books while they await review. One man is responsible for all of this censorship….
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The FLDOE said they will not recognize April as School Library Month, but that won’t stop our local districts & organizations like ours from proclaiming how valuable school libraries are to our communities. Thank you to all the school media specialists around FL for all you do!
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Happy to report that the RUBY BRIDGES film by @EuzhanPalcy was unanimously voted back by the @my_pcs school level committee today! . The objector did not attend the meeting, and no one spoke in favor of its removal.
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People like to say it's not banning because you can get it in the public library/bookstore. But it is censorship, because it's about control of access to knowledge. The whole point is to make sure that some people don’t have unfettered access to that info.
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“The parents, all parents, see this, and they want this.“ @SidDinerstein . Hi Sid, we’re public school parents in FL & we absolutely don’t want this assault on our schools, educators, & our children’s education. Take your politics out of public Ed.
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“An unaccredited conservative non-profit organization known for its anti-immigration theories and downplaying of systemic racism has been approved to provide classroom materials to Florida schools.”
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The proposed “Fight Book Bans Act” by @RepMaxwellFrost would give school districts up to $100,000 to oppose challenges to educational and library materials.
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Wetherell asked why the district didn’t allow for a “marketplace of ideas” in school libraries. When the state argued students can be impressionable, the judge interjected “Isn’t that the parent’s job…Why is 1 parent able to control what everyone reads?”
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The Commissioner of Education is defending limiting a primary, historical document (that was written for all ages to enjoy) to upper grades based off the (inaccurate) objection of ONE parent.
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“I don’t know how we protect staff here without banning every single book that has any type of coming of age story line.”. This is why “err on the side of caution” = censorship. Thank you, @smbrugal for this reporting. #ErrOnTheSideOfEducation
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“Spare us all the claptrap about how these books aren’t really “banned,” since parents can still go to the bookstore. That’s like ending school sports programs & asking why people are upset since they can still pay for their kids to join private leagues.”
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Please read this story prepared to be angered that someone with such bias toward others has been able to teach and get away with her behavior for 30 years. Thank you @JuddLegum for providing important context to the challenges in @ecpsfl.
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“Reading a book with a gay character will not make you gay any more than reading a book about Einstein will make you a genius,” said one speaker.
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Orange, Osceola, Lake, Seminole, Hillsborough, Duval, Pinellas, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, Brevard…. The list of districts NOT offering AP Psychology continues to grow. We absolutely blame the lack of leadership at the FLDOE for this harm to our students!
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The book banner calls out two pages where a character references his two dads. For her, this book has an “agenda” and it is a “violation of parental rights, introduction of alternate lifestyles and characters.”
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“It turned out that the teenagers in the room were the real leaders, not embarrassed to stand up for the right thing. If only the school district would learn courage from their display.”. Truth. It’s THEIR education, and they’re defending it.
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We are beyond “culture war” when the Attorney General of a state is arguing in court that the government has complete control over all speech in the school house and can censor whatever it wants based on viewpoint. Don’t downplay what is happening here.
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The Bible and other religious texts have been challenged (and immediately rejected) in Escambia & Pinellas. Broward & Brevard have both acknowledged challenge forms have been turned in, but have not scheduled a review. And now Palm Beach…
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“We’re going to teach you how to tie a tourniquet in case of an active shooter, but they can’t know that men and women may not be the only option for a marriage license?”
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Ron DeSantis collapsed into a racist/homophobic/transphobic tirade this morning when asked about why the state rejected the African American high school AP course. A few people might find this course useful @MPJInstitute @IamGMJohnson
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Do you know what made this story possible?. Parents in Florida volunteering our time to research and track these attacks to our children’s education. We will not be gaslit. We are not just another narrative to disregard.
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And just like that, 20 additional titles have been added to the 23/24 list in @oneclayschools. One man has filed over 700 challenges in this district of 35K+ students. Of those students, only 3 - yes, 3 - had parental restrictions in the library.
Below is a screenshot of the 23/24 SY Objection Database for Clay County (typos are not ours). It’s a great example of how the book banners are not waiting until the first day of school to file their challenges. Stephen King & Dav Pilkey join the list.
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@JenkinsBrevard This appears to be the FLDOE state list - the list they told us was NOT a statewide banned books list, so which is it?. Also, highlighted a few books which feature stories about LGBTQ+ people, discrimination, art history, animals, and the Holocaust. Not explicit sexual conduct.
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And then the Governor tweeted “where DEI goes to die” in response to news of Floridians losing their jobs because he thinks we are threatened most by diversity, equity, & inclusion instead of the rise in insurance costs, teacher shortages, measles, and lack of affordable housing.
BREAKING: UF fired all staff in positions related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, effective immediately.
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Alachua officials are pushing back at a person demanding 2 books be banned from schools (All Boys Arent Blue & The Duff). The person is a resident of Gilchrist County and cannot prove they are a parent of a student in an Alachua school.
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Last night @collierschools officially announced they would no longer require parent permission to access the library. Under this policy, 23% of students were being denied access due to parent inaction (failure to opt-in). 70 parents of 40,000+ students requested limited access.
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The African American studies department at UF made nine offers while trying to fill three positions. None accepted.
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“Ignorance doesn’t protect innocence. So, we are not protecting our children’s innocence by restricting them. We are just making them uneducated,” Amy Perwien, a Collier Schools parent, said.
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If you didn’t know, we have a lot of different parent groups in FL that all recognize the benefits of strong, supported public education. Our own @JenCousinsFL and @damarisallen of @strongflschools discuss what we’re up against.
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