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Miami, FL— The Miami-Dade County School District is facing criticism for requiring parental consent for a “read-aloud” segment. The Florida teacher who has not been named sent permission forms home with students. It describes the activity: “Students will participate and listen to a book written by an African American.”
The permission slip was shared on social media by parent Charles Walter. “I had to give permission for this or else my child would not participate???” Walter also tagged Jose Dotres, the Superintendent of the Miami-Dade County Public School System.
With February being Black History Month it’s unsurprising that teachers would want to include books written by Black authors.
Unfortunately, Governor Ron DeSantis’s passing of the 2022 Parental Rights in Education bill complicates things. Also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the law prohibits instruction of sexual orientation or gender identity material for students in kindergarten through the third grade.
District responds
Although it’s unclear if the book discusses sexual or gender identity, the Florida teacher stated she wanted to ensure compliance to avoid issues with the state.
A spokesperson for the school district released a statement to NBC about this incident.
“We realize that the description of the event may have caused confusion, and we are working with our schools to reemphasize the importance of clarity for parents in describing activities/events that would require parental permission. However, in compliance with State Law, permission slips were sent home because guest speakers would participate during a school-authorized education-related activity.”
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Florida Teacher ban was one of 1,600
Last month, Florida education was once again the target of headlines across the country. A list compiled by the non-profit PEN America reported 1,600 books that were banned in Escambia County.
Works of fiction are usually the main victims of these book bans. However, many people were surprised to find that the list included five dictionaries and eight encyclopedias. Even Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl was among those removed from library shelves.
This slew of banned books comes after the passage of Florida House Bill 1069 last year. DeSantis signed the bill, which required the Department of Education to approve all books containing subjects of reproductive health and sexuality.
The growing restrictions on books have inspired PEN America to file a suit against Escambia County School District. The plaintiffs filed the suit in May of last year, long before the recently released list of banned books. Named alongside PEN in the lawsuit is Penguin Random House, a national book publisher.
The suit argues that the removal of books that discuss racial, sexual, and gender topics violates the First Amendment. PEN said in a press release, “Ensuring that students have access to books on a wide range of topics and expressing a diversity of viewpoints supports a core function of public education, preparing students to be thoughtful and engaged citizens.”
It goes on to say, “The lawsuit further contends that the school district and school board are violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution because the books being singled out are disproportionately books by non-white and/or LGBTQ authors, and often address themes or topics related to race or LGBTQ identity.”
Education Under Attack
Another Florida bill that has faced constant backlash is the Stop Woke Act. The legislature created the “Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act” to codify the state’s K-12 anti-critical race theory prohibition.” Language in the bill also sought to “protect employees against a hostile work environment due to critical race theory training.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida fought back against the Stop Woke Act. In November 2022, a federal judge blocked enforcement of the bill in higher education institutions. Despite this, the law remains intact for K-12 schools.
Several states across the country have passed similar laws. In 2021, Oklahoma passed an HB 1775, which limits classroom discussions and lessons on race, gender and sexual orientation. The law also directly bans the use of the book The 1619 Project for diversity training.
In December of last year, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed an Executive Order that added restrictions on DEI programs in higher education. There are several bills under consideration during this year’s legislative session that aim to codify that order into law.