A growing number of Florida parents are expressing their opposition and concerns over the increasing list of books that are being removed from Florida public school classroom and district libraries. They say it’s another attack on education that could impede student success and push more educators out of the classroom.In this episode, you'll hear how these parents are mobilizing support and fighting back within their local communities. And you'll learn what you can do to become an education activist and join the movement to regain safe schools and the freedom for students to read, learn, and thrive.

Episode 22 Show Notes:

Guests

Show Resources

Transcript

GuestsRaegan Miller: Public School Advocate and Parent Activistemail RaeganFollow Raegan on TwitterRead Raegan's column, Stand up for Our Public Schools, Don't be Distracted by Fake OutrageJabari Hosey: Parent & President of Families for Safe Schools-Brevard Countyemail JabariRead Jabari's column, Gov. DeSantis talks of freedom while Florida's schools and children sufferJen Cousins: Parent & Education Activist, Co-Founder of Florida Freedom to Read Project Watch Jen's testimony about academic censorship in Florida to the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Civil Rights Watch Florida Mom is on a Mission to end Book Banning 

ResourcesPEN America report shows Florida has 2nd highest number of school-related book bansFlorida Library Association (FLA) press statement in support of the freedom to read and the right to free speech. FL Freedom to Read Project on Youtube Public Voices for Public Schools

TranscriptAndrew Spar, FEA President: Hi, this is FEA President Andrew Spar. To stay on top of all the latest news and issues impacting our public schools. Be sure to follow FEA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more information on this podcast, visit www.feaweb.org/podcast.Announcer: Sharon: You're listening to Educating from the Heart. Thank you for joining our lively conversations with. Support professionals, parents, and students as they share issues that matter most in our public schools. Here are your hosts, Tina Dunbar and Luke Flynt.Luke, Host: Hello and welcome to another episode of Educating From the Heart. This is Luke. I'm here along with my co-host. And I'm just wondering, Tina, for your children, was there ever a time as a parent that you wish they had fewer books available to them in the classroom?Tina, Host: No. (laughter) Most parents recognize that reading is important to learning.In fact, most parents would make sure that they, their child has every book possible. Because one of the most important things about, uh, student development or, or learning is exposure. And exposing your children to as many things as possible and sitting down and talking with them about these. That's, that's how you help children mature and grow and develop.Luke, Host: So along those lines, as a parent, did you ever wish that the governor came in and told your child that he could not take an AP class? In whatever it is that he wanted to take.Tina, Host: No. No. Especially if it's an elective class. No, no. That's not right. How I, I don't under, as a parent, I do not understand how an elected official can dictate what my child can take and not take what, what courses?I don't understand what he's attempting to accomplish here. He, he is stifling education in Florida. Basically, he is hurting children's future by doing this, and, uh, I, I'm not really sure why this is happening. We know that there are thousands and thousands of students throughout the state that don't have books to read in their classrooms. Now teachers are being told to remove books out of their classrooms. That's crazy. Who has ever heard of a classroom without books in it and resources to help students?Luke, Host: You know, I don't fully understand it either, but what I do know is that the majority of parents, Tina, agree with you.They want their children to have access to books. They want their children to have to be in a classroom with a classroom library, and they want their children to learn the full history of the United States, the good, the bad, and the ugly.Because the only way that we can fix our mistakes as a nation is if we are able to fully reckon with them. Recently we sat down with three parents to talk about what they want for their children and how it is quite different from the agenda that Governor DeSantis is pushing.RAEGAN MILLER, Parent Advocate: I'm Raegan Miller. I'm a parent. I have two kids. I have a middle schooler and an elementary schooler, and I am a parent advocate. I was involved, honestly, I got recruited to join the PTA at parent orientation before my child even joined kindergarten. I jumped in full force. And then I started working, you know, on the recess movement several years ago and really got to know the process of advocacy and got to know our legislators, and I got more involved in PTA and the advocacy piece of pta. And then I've, you know, continued.I see the amazing things that I've always been involved in the classroom. I see the amazing things being done in our public schools, and my dream is that, you know, everybody can see our public schools the way that I see them, and that I think the way most parents who are in the public school systems is that we have amazing teachers, and we have amazing students, and the sky is the limit for what we can do here in Florida. And I think what we want to see is we want to hold our legislators, our governor to the fire and say that we want that high quality, safe education that's guaranteed in our constitution.JABARI HOLSEY, President of Families for Safe Schools: Hi, I'm Jabari Holsey, parent of three elementary students. I never thought I would ever be needed or would be in a situation where I had to be a parent activist outside of an activist for my children in supporting our schools. But I'm currently president of Families for Safe Schools.One of the founders for that organization realized there was a need during this climate that has kind of overtaken our public schools as long as well as our legislation all the way up the chain, and so we're basically here. I'm here as a parent and as a leader of this organization to make sure that our public schools stay strong, keep progressing because we have a lot of room, and we've always had a lot of room, for growth in our public schools to be inclusive, to have accurate history, to make sure that we have equity in our schools. And I'm here to continue that progress and not let that get stifled with political agendas.JEN COUSINS, CO-FOUNDER OF FREEDOM TO READ PROJECT:  Hi, I'm Jen Cousins, and I am a parent advocate. I have four kids in the OCPS system: two in elementary, one in middle, and one in high school. And I am one of the co-founders of the Florida Freedom to Read Project, which we formed last year. Oh gosh, no, I guess now it's officially almost two years ago.In reaction to the book bans that we saw coming once Moms for Liberty had backed off of the mask mandates when DeSantis made them illegal, their next step was going after books. And we saw it happen in our community, and we weren't going to allow them to continue on with it. So, we're holding our school boards accountable.Our organization is tracking what books get challenged because we know that there are very specific themes that are being challenged, specifically LGBTQ and BIPOC titles. And you know, we want to make sure that the kids in Florida who attend public schools get the right education, get to learn the right kind of history, get to learn about marginalized communities. We don't want them to learn what DeSantis has on his agenda for stifling our education. And so my goal ultimately is to make sure that my youngest, who is in first grade, is able to graduate public school in Florida and have a quality education.TINA DUNBAR, HOST: During the past election, the Parent Bill of Rights was a major theme in the primary as well as the general election. You are standing up for public schools and you're standing up for parents who want their children to attend public education. As a parent, do you feel that this law stands up for you, support your goals?JABARI: I think it was something that was unnecessary. I think parent involvement is, we know it's key. It's key to the success of our students. And parents, in my history of working with my schools and, and being in public schools, parents have always had that opportunity to be involved. They always had a voice, they always had an opportunity to work with their teachers, their principals, administrators attend school board meetings, all of the above.And I think that Parent Bill of Rights was to double down on a political agenda to create what one of these boogeyman where it's like, “Hey, you know, parents are being blocked from being involved.” And it's not true. So, it's difficult for me to take a deep dive into it because I really believe it was an unnecessary thing that has now created more problems than what was already there from the beginning. So that, that's my take.JEN: I think what people need to realize is that parents always had rights in Florida schools, you know, well before this, you always had the right to say, “I don't want my kid to check this book out of the library.”You always had the right to go to your teacher and say, “I don't want my kid to read this book as part of an assignment.” And your teacher would give you a different book that your kid could do an assignment on. Parents have never been kept out of schools. This was completely unnecessary, and it was 100% a targeted attack on our marginalized communities.And we're trying to stifle our children's learning, and we're trying to not only stifle their learning,