DeSantis signs bill to keep explicit books out of schools
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Saying Florida public schools are making sexually explicit books available to children, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Friday to give parents a say in what books schools can and can't have in their libraries.
It will force all elementary schools to provide a searchable list of every book available in their libraries or used in instruction. School boards must let the public know when they plan to consider approving new instructional books and allow anyone to comment. Any objections to the material, by a parent or not, must be reported to the state.
“Unfortunately, we've seen some books in some of these libraries, I mean you're talking about kids in middle school, some of the stuff that has ended up there is incredibly, incredibly disturbing stuff,” DeSantis said. “Parents understand when they see this. They understand how to blow the whistle on this.”
The bill also sets a 12-year term limit for school board members.
Democrats opposed the bill during the legislative session that ended earlier this month, saying that it amounts to censorship and compared it to book burning. But it aligns with DeSantis' agenda to squash school district decisions he disagrees with.
“You have some groups that want to take away classic books like ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,' but they want things like, ‘Gender Queer: A Memoir,’ which is a cartoon-style book with graphic images of children performing sexual acts. That is wrong," DeSantis said. “They want to eliminate ’Of Mice and Men,' but ‘Lawn Boy,’ a book containing explicit passages of pedophilia is somehow accepted."
Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon said the bill is part of the governor's culture wars designed to help him win the 2024 Republican nomination for president.
“The governor's actions today and...