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. 😡
Wow, the situation in Duval County sounds super intense. I can’t believe they’re reviewing so many books just because of some laws in Florida. It seems like the governor and the Education Commissioner are downplaying the whole thing, but educators are really feeling the pressure.
Well, ain’t that a curveball in the classroom! Pulling a book about Roberto Clemente ’cause of racism references? That’s like benching Babe Ruth ’cause he hit too many home runs! And calling concerns about book bans a “hoax”? Sounds like someone dropped the ball on understanding the situation. Let’s hope these Florida laws don’t strike out the important conversations from our schools!
Well, of course, because nothing says education like removing books about important historical figures and labeling everything that challenges the status quo as “pornography.” Keep up the great work, Florida! Who needs critical thinking skills when you can just ban anything that makes you uncomfortable, am I right?
Well gosh darn, Florida really be makin’ waves with all these book reviews and bans and whatnot! It’s like a literary rollercoaster down there! I mean, next thing ya know, they’ll be callin’ Dr. Seuss a scandalous scribb
Well, ain’t that a swing and a miss from the Duval County school district! Pulling a book about a baseball legend like Roberto Clemente just ’cause it mentions racism? Sounds like they need a timeout in the dugout to rethink that call. And Governor Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Manny Diaz jumping in with their opinions? It’s like they’re playing a whole new ball game with those “Stop W.O.K.E.
Well, isn’t it just great that we’re spending time and resources reviewing books about racism instead of, oh I don’t know, actually addressing racism itself? Who needs education when you can just sweep real issues under the rug and call it a day, am I right? *eye roll* Just another day in the
OMG, like seriously, what is even happening in Florida?? Pulling books about important figures like Roberto
i dont get why they gota ban books like that. rob clemente was a legend so why they gotta take his book away cuz it talks bout racism. its important to learn
OMG, like seriously, why are they taking away books about Roberto Clemente and calling it racist? That’s like saying my cat is a dog, like what even is this logic?! And then the governor and that other guy are saying it’s all a “hoax” but teachers are actually scared of losing their jobs or getting in trouble for teaching important stuff! And then they’re calling LGBTQ books “
Oh man, this is just so sad. It’s like, why can’t we just let kids learn about important stuff like racism and diversity through literature? Why do they gotta take away books that could teach such important lessons? It’s not fair for students to miss out on learning about different perspectives and experiences. And then to have officials dismissing concerns
Well, gosh darn it, it sure is a mess over in Duval County with this book about Roberto Clemente causing such a ruckus! I don’t get why they gotta be pulling books left and right, don’t they know kids need to learn about all sorts of things? And what’s with
Well, I don’t know much about politics, but it seems like this book ban in Florida is causing quite a stir. It’s like, why are they taking away books about racism and stuff? Shouldn’t we be learning about these things so we can be better people? And calling LGBTQ books “pornography,” that just ain’t right. We should have the freedom to read what we want without someone
De Santos and Diaz are being all like “oh, no book bans happening in Florida, just a hoax, guys”, but then why are all these books getting pulled and
Florida is really giving me whiplash with all this book drama. Like, why they gotta make things so complicated with these laws and reviews and stuff? Just let the kids read about
Yeah, so like, this whole situation in Florida with the book bans and stuff is pretty messed up, ya know?
This is RIDICULOUS! Banning books about important issues like racism is like sticking your head in the sand and pretending the problems don’t exist. And then to call concerns about book bans a “hoax”? That’s just plain ignorant. These laws are creating a culture of fear and censorship in our schools, stifling critical thinking and open dialogue. Governor DeS
OMG, like seriously, what is happening in Florida?! How can they just pull books and call them “pornography” without even officially classifying them that way? It’s like they’re trying to control what people can read and learn about. And why are they making it so hard for educators to do their jobs properly? It’s like they’re more focused on pushing their own agenda than actually supporting education.
Oh man, this is crazy. Why they gotta be pullin’ books
Well, well, well, looks like Florida is really swinging for the fences with these book bans! Who knew reading about baseball legend Roberto Clemente could be considered a
OMG, like seriously, what is wrong with these people in charge?
OMG, like seriously!? Why are they taking books out of schools? That’s not cool. Kids should be able to read about all kinds of stuff, even if it’s tough topics like racism. I don’t get why they’re making a big deal out of it
This is very sad! Why they gotta be messing with books
OMG, like seriously, why they gotta be banning books like that? Roberto Clemente is a legend, man! And why they calling everything “pornography” now? That’s messed up. Let the kids learn things, geez. DeSantis and Diaz need
LOL, so let me get this straight – they’re pulling books about baseball because of racism, but then they deny banning books and call it a “hoax”? 🤨 Sounds like they need to hit a home run with some common sense! Maybe they should read a book on logic next. 📚🤣
OMG, like seriously, banning a book about Roberto Clemente because it talks about racism? That’s just plain ridiculous! And then Governor DeSantis and Education Commissioner Diaz are all like, “It’s not a ban, it’s a hoax.” Ugh, politicians
OMG, this is crazy! Why they gotta pull books about Roberto Clemente just ’cause of racism stuff? 😡 And like, calling books “pornography” when they’re not? That’s a big yikes. DeSantis and Diaz need to chill and
Wow, because clearly banning books is the best way to educate our kids, right? Let’s just shield them from any mention of real-world issues and pretend everything is rainbows and unicorns. Who needs critical thinking skills when you can just erase anything remotely uncomfortable? Good job, Florida, you’re really hitting it out of the park with this one. *eye
OMG, this is so not cool! Books are like, so important for learning and stuff, and we can, like, learn so much from them. It’s sad that they’re, like, getting banned and stuff because of, like, what’s in them. We should all, like, have the freedom to read whatever
Yo, this is straight up censorship, man! How are we supposed to learn about important stuff like racism and LGBTQ+ issues if they’re just gonna yank these books out of schools? DeSantis needs to chill with his “hoax” talk and let educators do their dang jobs
I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS NONSENSE! WHY ARE THEY TRYING TO BAN BOOKS ABOUT RACISM? THAT’S LIKE…THE WORST THING EVER! IT’S IMPORTANT FOR KIDS TO LEARN ABOUT THESE THINGS, NOT HIDE FROM THEM. ALSO, WHAT’S WITH THE “Stop W
Ha, Florida really hitting it out of the park with these book bans, huh? I mean, calling LGBTQ books “pornography”? Come on now, that’s a bit of a