Hide your classroom books to avoid felony charges, Florida school districts tell teachers

[essentialsaltes]

Students arrived in some Florida public school classrooms this month to find their teachers’ bookshelves wrapped in paper — or entirely barren of books — after district officials launched a review of the texts’ appropriateness under a new state law.

School officials in at least two counties, Manatee and Duval, have directed teachers this month to remove or wrap up their classroom libraries, according to records obtained by The Washington Post. The removals come in response to fresh guidance issued by the Florida Department of Education in mid-January, after the State Board of Education ruled that a law restricting the books a district may possess applies not only to schoolwide libraries but to teachers’ classroom collections, too.

The department’s new rule, published and approved Jan. 18, “clarifies that library materials, including classroom libraries, must be approved and selected by a media specialist.” This goes against precedent: Classroom libraries have historically been overseen by no one but teachers, who simply selected and stocked books they believed might be intriguing to students. Often, teachers bought these texts with their own money or by fundraising online.

Books must be approved by a qualified school media specialist, who must undergo a state retraining on book collection. The Education Department did not publish that training until January, leaving school librarians across Florida unable to order books for more than a year.

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Well, once the media specialists have been reeducated, hopefully it won't take too long for them to root out any books that subvert the ideals of the State.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Students arrived in some Florida public school classrooms this month to find their teachers’ bookshelves wrapped in paper — or entirely barren of books — after district officials launched a review of the texts’ appropriateness under a new state law.

School officials in at least two counties, Manatee and Duval, have directed teachers this month to remove or wrap up their classroom libraries, according to records obtained by The Washington Post. The removals come in response to fresh guidance issued by the Florida Department of Education in mid-January, after the State Board of Education ruled that a law restricting the books a district may possess applies not only to schoolwide libraries but to teachers’ classroom collections, too.

The department’s new rule, published and approved Jan. 18, “clarifies that library materials, including classroom libraries, must be approved and selected by a media specialist.” This goes against precedent: Classroom libraries have historically been overseen by no one but teachers, who simply selected and stocked books they believed might be intriguing to students. Often, teachers bought these texts with their own money or by fundraising online.

Books must be approved by a qualified school media specialist, who must undergo a state retraining on book collection. The Education Department did not publish that training until January, leaving school librarians across Florida unable to order books for more than a year.

--

Well, once the media specialists have been reeducated, hopefully it won't take too long for them to root out any books that subvert the ideals of the State.

I wonder if Uncle Tom's Cabin is back on the ban list again.

This is going to have a degree of backlash sometime in the future.

 

[durangodawood]

Teachers have it too easy. Felony consequences around vague rules ought to whip them into shape.

 

[keith99]

Care to guess how 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 will fare under these rules?

 

[Desk trauma]

Teachers have it too easy. Felony consequences around vague rules ought to whip them into shape.

It should also do wonders for filling the increasing number of open positions.

 

[driewerf]

Care to guess how 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 will fare under these rules?

This is Fahrenheit 451 applied.

 

[Desk trauma]

Care to guess how 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 will fare under these rules?

I saw a comment from one teacher about removing all of their books but leaving Fahrenheit 451 to test if they were willing to violate the corpse of irony that severely.

 

[Fantine]

It should also do wonders for filling the increasing number of open positions.

Do you know they're the lowest paid teachers in the country? You'd have to be crazy to teach there for peanuts.

 

[Brihaha]

Soon Florida will be forced to replace fed up teachers with state "knowledge specialists" to learn those children the proper ideals of the state.

 

[Desk trauma]

Is it too late to rescind their reentry into The Union?

 

[Always in His Presence]

They are being told how to avoid felony charges?

Here is a thought. Don’t commit felony’s and you don’t have to break the law in secret.

Don’t like the law-change it. Until then, don’t break it. That is what people of integrity do.

 

[wing2000]

DeSantis' vision for America....school teachers never known when the next culture war round will land...

 

[essentialsaltes]

My Amazing Body? Better put a burka over it.

Curious George. Curious about some unhealthy urges that should be suppressed, I bet.

Bears? Why do they always have to flaunt their deviant lifestyles?

 

[keith99]

Do you know they're the lowest paid teachers in the country? You'd have to be crazy to teach there for peanuts.

Actually at least Mississippi and West Virginia teachers are paid less. Mississippi significantly less and a couple more states are lower according to some sources.

Now on salary divided by cost of living Florida might just be significantly worse than any other state.

 

[iluvatar5150]

CANCEL CULTURE!!!

 

[Ana the Ist]

Students arrived in some Florida public school classrooms this month to find their teachers’ bookshelves wrapped in paper — or entirely barren of books — after district officials launched a review of the texts’ appropriateness under a new state law.

School officials in at least two counties, Manatee and Duval, have directed teachers this month to remove or wrap up their classroom libraries, according to records obtained by The Washington Post. The removals come in response to fresh guidance issued by the Florida Department of Education in mid-January, after the State Board of Education ruled that a law restricting the books a district may possess applies not only to schoolwide libraries but to teachers’ classroom collections, too.

The department’s new rule, published and approved Jan. 18, “clarifies that library materials, including classroom libraries, must be approved and selected by a media specialist.” This goes against precedent: Classroom libraries have historically been overseen by no one but teachers, who simply selected and stocked books they believed might be intriguing to students. Often, teachers bought these texts with their own money or by fundraising online.

Books must be approved by a qualified school media specialist, who must undergo a state retraining on book collection. The Education Department did not publish that training until January, leaving school librarians across Florida unable to order books for more than a year.

--

Well, once the media specialists have been reeducated, hopefully it won't take too long for them to root out any books that subvert the ideals of the State.

Yeah sure....political censorship of political indoctrination is real conundrum.

I would sympathize with these teachers more if they tried to comply with the wishes of parents as much as they did with this administration's educational agenda....

But apparently they're almost entirely tools of the state at this point.

 

[essentialsaltes]

I would sympathize with these teachers more if they tried to comply with the wishes of parents

How do you know they don't? All teachers in Florida are ignoring parents' wishes? Do we know of even one such Florida teacher?

as much as they did with this administration's educational agenda....

Which administration are we talking about and what agenda? Since DeSantis is threatening them with felonies, there's not much wonder they are complying.

But apparently they're almost entirely tools of the state at this point.

Yes, they are constrained to provide only those books that have been approved by the political officer. Big Guvnor is watching.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Next up for DeSantis, eliminating indoctrination in higher education by requiring that all general ed classes be taught from a prescribed viewpoint.

 

[rturner76]

Florida might just be significantly worse than any other state.

Yeah Florida seems to treat their teachers like trash

 

[keith99]

If it is bound with a cover does a copy of the constitution count as a book?