John well-knows that DeSantis’ chances for national office are growing dimmer, as more of his explicit edicts in Florida receive wider attention. So tonight, Hinderaker tells a series of lies about school library books. [John sees DeSantis as the only viable GOP nominee, having ruled out both Haley and Tangerine.]
While in some more liberal communities — notably near downtown Miami, and inside Celebration, Florida — and parts of Tallahassee… the library books have remained untouched, all year (with the local officials openly saying they will risk having their Florida teaching certifications revoked, as the DeSanits’ laws and local rules now allow)… in many other, more radical right counties’ school districts / areas (i.e., almost essentially all of the panhandle, and most of central landlocked Florida) have ordered the removal or covering of ALL books.
In fact, in one district where over a million titles were available just three years ago, there are only 3,100 approved books left in many schools, in total. This is due to the law requiring all books be removed until each one is deemed “suitable”, by a local parent council. And those councils don’t meet very often, and don’t — frankly — read many books.
As to specifics, teachers in Manatee County and Duval County were told in late 2022 they had to have each book in their classrooms formally reviewed (by what amounts to a local school “censor” board), following the provisions of HB 1467. Until their books are approved by a media specialist and that board, teachers were told to remove or cover ALL their books. Most did, to avoid losing their right to teach, state-wide.
HB 1557, the “Parental Rights in Education Act” (a/k/a “Don’t Say Gay” law) bars classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in Kindergarten through third grade.
In upper classes, these topics must be delivered in an “age-appropriate” or “developmentally appropriate” way, and only “in accordance with state standards.” Whether the law applies to school libraries or classroom libraries has been a source of confusion; yet teachers found in violation of the law risk losing their professional license.
HB 7, The “Stop W.O.K.E.” Act prohibits teaching someone in a way that they “might” feel guilt or psychological distress on account of their race or sex, similar to educational gag orders with lists of “divisive concepts” passed in numerous states in 2021 and 2022. In deeply red counties, this law has been used to remove any book that even mentions historical facts about slavery, for example.
HB 1467 mandates that schools maintain online databases of every book in their collections “in a searchable format” so that the parent councils can ban books without reading them. The parent councils tend to search for what they regard as offensive words, and then ban the book without even cracking its cover. And yes, that is what is happening in Manatee County [according to public school teachers who are considering an ACLU-led class action lawsuit on behalf of all children in the county].
In sum — Hinderaker (when not delusional) is… a stone cold liar.
And, in order to get back at his own Democratic Governor in Minnesota, John and his allies placed gay porn in the lending library as “a stunt”. Hinderaker thinks this a droll prank — but Florida kids may actually request these books, from Gov. Walz’s lending library — if they know to ask, now that Hinderaker’s pals have trafficked in underage porn.
This is how you know hard right radicals have lost all rational arguments: they resort to potentially harming real children for humorous effect — since no one takes them seriously any longer. This moron ought to be… charged.
Out.
