TAMPA – Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday took aim at Duval County Public Schools as well as national and local media, saying some have created a “false narrative” surrounding the review or removal of controversial books from schools.
During a news conference in Tampa, DeSantis showed a five-minute video calling out “myths” he said were being reported. One of the myths, he claimed, is that Florida schools have been directed to “empty libraries” and “cover classroom books.”
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Earlier this year, Duval County said it performed a mass review of all classroom libraries and media centers throughout the district after the Florida Department of Education handed down directives parallel to a new state law.
“The Florida Department of Education has trained all Florida schools districts to ‘err on the side of caution’ in determining if a book is developmentally appropriate for student use,” the district said in a blog post about the decision.
DeSantis said Wednesday that by reviewing a large number of books and leaving sections of some district library shelves empty, the district had the goal of “intentionally trying to create friction and trying to create issues to then act like something was wrong in the state of Florida.”
According to a blog post by DCPS, the response to the state’s mandate varied by school.
“We did have a small number of principals interpret directions and guidance more intensely, out of an abundance of caution,” the blog post said. “We have provided additional guidance to those leaders and they have appropriately adjusted their message to teachers. In their defense, the state training also stressed the accountability of the school principal with respect to the books and materials made available to students.”
One of the books pulled for review in Duval County to make sure it complied with the new law, as reported by NBC News, was a book about the late Afro-Puerto Rican MLB legend Roberto Clemente. The book made mention of racism experienced by Clemente during his time in the league.
According to the report, “Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates” by Jonah Winter and Raúl Colón were among the more than 1 million titles that have been “covered or stored and paused for student use” at the Duval County Public Schools District, according to Chief Academic Officer Paula Renfro.
The district said eventually, the book about Clemente was returned to school shelves.
A DCPS spokesman said Wednesday more than 10,000 classroom library books have been reviewed and approved, and most media center books have been approved for student use.
A Jacksonville substitute teacher was fired last month after a Jan. 27 video he posted on social media showing rows of empty bookshelves in Mandarin Middle School’s library. According to a spokesperson for DCPS, the teacher’s video didn’t paint a clear picture of how the district is actually responding to the law.
“The viral video you are sharing shows less than half the story,” the district’s official social media account said. “Yes, those shelves were empty. But they were in a room full of books.”
News4JAX reached out to DCPS to ask about DeSantis’s comments and the spokesman said they would have to listen to what the governor said in context before replying.
The Florida law says that all books, specifically in elementary school libraries, must be looked over by a certified media specialist who has undergone state training on the new policy. The statute requires media centers to be free from the following materials:
- Pornography – defined in the Merriam Webster dictionary as “the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement.”;
- Instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in grades kindergarten through three;
- Discrimination in such a way that “an individual, by virtue of his or her race, color, sex, or national origin is inherently racist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.”
The state said that school districts are required to report the number of books removed from schools based on legislation passed in 2022. Of the 23 districts that reported removing materials, the most removed were tied at 19 in Duval and St. Johns counties.
RELATED: St. Johns County removes 23 books from library shelves after review
According to a news release sent out by the governor’s office on Wednesday, of the 175 books removed across the state, 164 (94%) were removed from media centers, and 153 (87%) were identified as pornographic, violent, or inappropriate for their grade level.
On Wednesday, DeSantis cited examples of books removed including “Gender Queer,” a graphic novel that was found in Orange, St. Lucie and Hillsborough county schools that shows depictions of oral sex.
But as noted by DeSantis on Wednesday, residents in Florida are able to file objections on any book in media centers to ask for a review. Some of those books objected to by parents and other community members in Florida, including recently in St. Johns County, involve issues dealing with Black or LGBTQ characters.
