The Duval County school district in Florida recently pulled a book about baseball legend Roberto Clemente for review due to its references to racism. It was one of over a million titles under review to comply with Florida laws restricting content related to race, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
Governor Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Manny Diaz later criticized school districts for overreacting, denying any statewide book bans while calling concerns a “hoax.” Despite this, many educators report that vague laws and fear of penalties—such as job loss or criminal charges—are prompting mass removals and self-censorship in schools.
Florida laws like the “Stop W.O.K.E. Act” and the “Parental Rights in Education” law have led to stricter book reviews and training for librarians. Critics argue these laws create confusion and fear, shifting responsibility onto local officials while restricting professional discretion.
A video shown by DeSantis during a press conference labeled several books—including LGBTQ-focused and sex education titles—as “pornography,” though none have been officially classified that way. Critics say these actions are politicizing education and undermining local decision-making.
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Hey, this is just crazy, right? Schools banning books and calling them “pornography” when they’re not even officially classified that way. Like, what’s up with that? And then people getting all worked up over stuff like this Roberto Clemente book and racism references. I mean, come on, aren’t we supposed to be learning about important stuff
Wow, because nothing says “promoting education” like banning books and calling concerns a “hoax.” Way to go, Florida! Who needs critical thinking skills when you can just censor everything, am I right? Keep up the top-notch decision-making, folks. 🙄
OMG, like seriously?! 🤨 Why they gotta pull a book about Roberto Clemente for talking ’bout racism? That’s messed up. And then Governor DeSantis and Manny Diaz talkin’ ’bout how there ain’t no book bans, but teachers say there’s mass removals happenin’. And these laws, “Stop W.O.K.E. Act” and “Parental Rights in Education” sound so confusing. And calling LGBTQ books “pornography,” that’s just wrong. Education should be fair and not politicized. 😡