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DeSantis Signs Bill Intensifying Scrutiny of School Library Books and Imposing 12-Year Limit on School Board Terms

March 25, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 9 Comments

Watch what you read.Even if it'snotinEnglish.(Valentin Salja on Unsplash)
Watch what you read. Even if it’s not in English.(Valentin Salja on Unsplash)

Calling it a move toward “curriculum transparency,” Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a bill that will intensify scrutiny of school library books and instructional materials and impose 12-year term limits on school board members.




Lawmakers approved the measure (HB 1467) during the legislative session that ended March 14.

Under the bill, school boards will be required to adopt procedures that, in part, provide for the “regular removal or discontinuance” of books from media centers based on factors such as alignment to state academic standards.

Elementary schools will be required to publish online lists of all materials maintained in school libraries or that are part of school reading lists.

DeSantis signed the bill at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, joined by Republican lawmakers and parents who described books that they opposed in their children’s school libraries. The parents described books that included such things as sexual content.

The governor, who has targeted what he calls “indoctrination” in schools, said parents developed a heightened awareness about school instruction and materials during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many students were forced to temporarily learn online.

“Parents became exposed more to what was going on in some of the schools. So they became more interested in making sure that, one, their kids weren’t being forced to do things like (wear) masks. And they go to school board meetings, which is obviously important. But also, parents want education for their kids. They’re not interested in indoctrination through the school system,” DeSantis said.




The bill would increase parental involvement in the process of selecting books and materials for classrooms. For instance, meetings held for “ranking, eliminating or selecting” instructional materials for recommendation to school boards will be required to include parents of district students.

When books are removed from schools “as a result of an objection,” the state Department of Education will be responsible for publishing a list of the books and providing it to districts throughout the state “for consideration in their selection procedures.”

DeSantis called the changes in the bill “well-meaning reforms.”

“What ends up being in that classroom or in that library … the parent doesn’t necessarily have control. But at that point, once it’s there or going to be proposed, you have the opportunity to review. There’s procedures that will be in place. And, if it violates state standards, if it’s not consistent with what we’ve set out under Florida law, then the parent can prevail,” DeSantis said.

Some Democrats and other critics have compared the bill to “book-burning” practices of authoritarian governments.

“In the age of the internet, where endless information is quite literally one keystroke, one click away, do we really want to join the likes of dictators across the world and allow the banning and possibly burning of books?” Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book, D-Plantation, asked while debating the bill this month.

The Florida Freedom to Read Project, an Orange County-based group formed this year to oppose efforts to step up scrutiny of school books, decried the bill’s signing Friday.

“HB 1467 is now signed into law. This law will allow the most conservative communities the opportunity to censor school libraries throughout the state. FL is a diverse state with large, progressive and inclusive communities. This law is unconstitutional,” the group said in a Twitter post.

At the bill-signing event, DeSantis, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran and lawmakers also touted the part of the bill placing term limits on school board members.




Corcoran pointed to several school boards that defied DeSantis directives last year by requiring students to wear masks during the pandemic.

“There’s no greater accountability than telling a politician, your career ends, dead-certain, at this point in time,” Corcoran, a former state House speaker, said. “Having term limits for school board members is long overdue.”

Critics of the proposal have argued that term limits aren’t needed, as elections already give voters the opportunity to remove school board members from office.

DeSantis suggested that elections are just another option.

“I’m a big believer in term limits. But you don’t always have to wait for that,” DeSantis said. “You can throw the bums out in the election.”

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bailey’s Mom says

    March 25, 2022 at 3:13 pm

    Hoping to throw that Bum out of the governors office this November!

    Reply
    • Deborah Coffey says

      March 25, 2022 at 6:14 pm

      He’s got to go! Florida may like Republicans but, it doesn’t like FASCISTS! We can do this. He only won by 10,000 votes.

      Reply
  2. Carlvaho says

    March 25, 2022 at 3:13 pm

    I’m a firm believer in term limits too, so lets throw this bum out – DEATHSANTIS

    Reply
  3. Merrill S Shapiro says

    March 25, 2022 at 4:05 pm

    “Parents became exposed more to what was going on in some of the schools. So they became more interested in making sure that, one, their kids weren’t being forced to do things like (wear) masks. And they go to school board meetings, which is obviously important. But also, parents want education for their kids. They’re not interested in indoctrination through the school system,” DeSantis said.

    Here in Flagler County, parents foot the bill for no more than 16% of the annual $200 million it takes to run our schools. Why do they deserve to have a 100% say in how our schools are run. Those of who are not parents with children in our schools, thus, pay for 84% of the cost to operate our schools. Shouldn’t we have something to say about what happens under the auspices of the Flagler County School Board?

    Reply
  4. Dennis C Rathsam says

    March 25, 2022 at 5:45 pm

    With who CRAZY CHARLIE CRIST!!!!

    Reply
  5. Makeitso1701 says

    March 26, 2022 at 7:23 am

    What’s next? Burning books like the German’s did in the 1930’s?
    It seems to me that more and more the republican politicians are pushing Nazi-like agendas and what’s even worst, the kool aid drinkers, aka, trumpster cult followers, seem to be ok with it. What is happening to America? Why are so many people so blinded by their racism, bigotry, homophobia, that they are willing to basically kill democracy for the sake of a political party that so unrecognizable, I can’t even call them Republicans anymore, it’s dangerous cult.
    People, wake up.

    Reply
    • Dar says

      March 26, 2022 at 8:52 pm

      People have woken up and that’s why they are behind the best in all the states.School board Term limits should be set for no more than 5 years.

      Reply
      • JimBob says

        March 27, 2022 at 4:54 pm

        You mean to say those rabid dolts showing up for school board meetings lately are “woke”?

        Reply
  6. Michael Cocchiola says

    March 26, 2022 at 11:08 am

    As with all dictatorships, Florida will now dictate which materials will be available to students in school libraries or taught in the classroom. And be assured that right-wing Republican culture warriors will carefully monitor schools to ensure compliance with their particular beliefs regardless of what other parents, librarians, or scholars want. And the penalty for rebellion is firing or, at the suggestion of one Idaho politician… death!

    Shades of Orwell’s 1984.

    Reply
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