EXCESSIVE

Florida Teachers Are Hiding Books From Students Thanks to ‘Ridiculous’ New Law

Educators could be prosecuted for issuing unapproved books to students.

Fearing prosecution under a new law on library books, a group of teachers in Florida are using construction paper to hide their classrooms’ libraries from students. Manatee County School District Superintendent Kevin Chapman said teachers were instructed to remove books from their classrooms that had not yet been approved by a media specialist, who would determine if the content was “free of pornography” and appropriate for the designated grade level. However, rather than going through the process of checking whether their books—sometimes hundreds—had been authorized, teachers closed up shop altogether and fashioned construction-paper barriers to keep students from selecting any of the reading materials. “If you have a lot of books like I do, probably several hundred, it is not practical to run all of them through (the vetting process) so we have to cover them up,” Manatee High School teacher Don Falls said. “It is not only ridiculous but a very scary attack on fundamental rights.” Some teachers posted photos of their locked-up books on social media, demonstrating the exhausting book-vetting process. “It’s a scary thing to have elementary teachers have to worry about being charged with a third-degree felony because of trying to help students develop a love of reading,” Manatee Education Association President Pat Barber said.