Parents have the right to direct the education of their children, and this includes giving them the space to collaborate with their educators to provide additional materials as well as the emotional and mental support needed to meet each student's unique needs.
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That’s why we’re asking you to send an email to your legislators about the current raft of education bills that encourage the removal and restriction of library books based on the most conservative viewpoints and limit the tools available to both parents and educators.
Allowing a single viewpoint to suppress access to information in a community, as HB1069 seeks to do, or giving the state the authority to overrule local governments based on arbitrary criteria is censorship. Furthermore, the changes in HB1463 and SB1620 will extend the censorship issues already evident in our schools into the consumer space - giving complete authority over to the government regarding what information parents can choose to make available to their children.
HB1223 and SB1320 seek to expand the Parental Rights in Education Act to Pre-K through grade 8 without fixing the language that has allowed districts to discriminately limit access to books about LGBTQ+ people. The undefined terms of "classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity" have been understood to target only LGBTQ+ topics in both the classroom and on library shelves. We cannot allow that to continue - let alone expand - when the mental health of all students is critical to a safe and inviting school environment.
The limits on higher education in HB999 are unconstitutional considering this bill impacts adults choosing to invest in their education. The proposed benefits of increased government oversight through expansion of power given to the appointed Boards will be overshadowed by the chilling and unsupportive learning environment these provisions will create. Diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and programs prevent monoculturalism, inequities in education, and exclusionary practices. And the limitations placed on specific topics will discourage talented professors and analytical students from seeking out Florida’s colleges and universities.
We will be in Tallahassee during Library Days (March 21-23) to ask our legislators to support the freedom to read in Florida. We will have students, parents, educators, and authors standing together as stakeholder representatives as we celebrate and communicate the importance of diverse and inclusive literature in our libraries during our Read-In Event.