I grew up in Florida. 

My dad was a public schoolteacher, and I went to a variety of public schools throughout certain phases of my life. All within Florida. 

Then, once I graduated, I extended my education at the University of South Florida with a degree in education, and I taught in public school system for several years before moving to Chicago. 

To say I have opinions on the school system, would be an understatement. But given the current political/educational climate in Florida, I feel like it’s really no longer avoidable. 

So what better time than now to address just how toxic and terrifying and genuinely disturbing it can be to see a government official explicitly and violently whitewashing history and banning books. 

If you were not familiar, in 2023, Ron DeSantis, alongside mothers of liberty and other financially sketchy groups, went through the Department of Education to alter the standards for learning in the public school system. Within several months, they had already banned over 300 books, and approved over 60% of some incredibly harmful instructional material submissions for social studies. Again for all public school students in Florida. These are the standards they will be tested on, and schools will be funded because of the teachings/adhereance to them. 

And if you’re like Julie, what books are they banning, maybe they’re bad? Let me remind everyone that books like, Ready player one, Anne Frank’s diary, antiracist baby, aren’t harming your kids. Mary Louise GAY is a name, but even if it weren't??? This is wild.

 If you’re like what kind of stuff did they add to curriculum, well, I have receipts for that too, I read the literal social studies “clarifications” and my personal pearl clutch came when I read these words, and no others on this page: Benchmark Clarifications: Clarification 1: Instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.

RESOURCES: https://www.aclufl.org/en/issues/students-youth-rights

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