Gov. Ron DeSantis is walking back Florida鈥檚 policies that make it easier to challenge or ban a book in the state.
The announcement in Orlando Thursday comes days after a Miami school required students to get
DeSantis said he鈥檚 calling on the Florida legislature and Florida Department of Education to 鈥渞eform鈥� the state鈥檚 book ban policies.
He said classic books like To Kill a Mockingbird should not be allowed to be challenged. Same goes for the dictionary. And under no circumstances
READ MORE: A PEN America report documents increased censorship in classrooms
鈥淔or example, there was a teacher, I think, in Manatee County that papered over every book in the classroom. Whoa, I can't show. But that's a lie. That is not true. That is performative nonsense,鈥� said DeSantis.
DeSantis suggested limiting the number of challenges a person who does not have a child in a district can make, or even fining people for challenging certain books.
鈥淎lthough we like people wanting to be involved in what's going on, to just show up and object to every single book under the sun, that is not an appropriate situation here,鈥� said DeSantis. 鈥淵ou should not be reviewing dictionaries, and encyclopedias, and just basic things that have been a part of education for a long time.鈥�
DeSantis said the policy was intended to keep sexually inappropriate content out of the classroom.
The Florida Department of Education stepped in earlier this week after a Miami school required students to get signed permission slips before participating in a Black History Month read aloud.
Commissioner Manny Diaz and Governor Ron DeSantis also pointed out that several of the books that have been challenged in some schools like 鈥淭he Diary of a Young Girl鈥� by Anne Frank were actually part of the , a list of books the commissioner recommends students and their families read every month.
since the passage of , which made it easier to challenge books in schools.
Earlier this month, for possible removal. 鈥淎 Court of Thorns and Roses鈥� was banned in the district following the protest.
Seminole County Schools banned dozens of books in the fall,
Florida's book bans have become such a topic of national discussion that Incubate Debate brought in to talk about them at the Orlando Public Library on Monday night.
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