Mary Gay Scanlon: “I wanted to take a minute--or not even a minute--to correct a couple statements that were made. First of all, I include…”

“I wanted to take a minute--or not even a minute--to correct a couple statements that were made. First of all, I include in the Record an article from Jax Today titled: ``Duval Schools to keep 73 `diverse, inclusive' books out of classrooms.'' [From Jax Today, Dec. 22, 2022] Duval Schools To Keep 73 `Diverse, Inclusive' Books Out of Classrooms (By Claire Heddles) Dozens of books the Duval County school district ordered in the summer of 2021 will never hit classroom shelves. That's the result of an ongoing review after the district pulled almost 200 books this spring while the Florida Legislature passed limits on what teachers can say about race, gender and sexual orientation in classrooms and set new rules for purchasing classroom materials. After a 10-month process--delayed by staffing shortages, according to the district--47 titles are being returned to the distributor. Twenty-six others will remain in storage, awaiting further state guidance. Among the rejected titles are a book about Martin Luther King Jr. intended for fourth graders; a biography of Rosa Parks for second grade classrooms; a first grade Berenstain Bears book about God; and multiple titles including LGBTQ+ characters and families. District staffers are sending the rejected books back to the distributor, Perfection Learning, for exchange.…”