Post # 273, Bob McKnight's Florida Commentary
In Florida public schools, our government is now policing the libraries.
The shock of our government policing our school books is still settling in for many Floridians. Governor Ron DeSantis, now running for President, saw the strong favorable response he received from Trump fans to monitor what happens in public schools, like:
Regulate what is taught and said.
Choose the teachers and administrators to carry out the policy.
Create a personal police force to enforce the regulations.
Withhold educator compensation for enforcement.
Punish locally elected administrators without due process.
Deny legally earned tenure for teachers.
Transfer public school funds to private, unregulated schools.
Deny public sunshine of administration in schools.
Facilitate carrying weapons in schools.
But the real shocker is where our state government, not the locally elected school boards, will decide what will no longer be permitted in schools, over and above just the books. Now it is the subject matter:
Study of Civil Rights and Civil War.
Study of Holocaust and Alternative Religions.
Gender Studies.
Study of World Governance and Discrimination.
Study of Alternatives to Democracy and Freedom.
When asked to explain why such regulation of public thought and action is necessary for a freedom-loving democracy? The answer often given by the Trump/DeSantis supporters is, "If they don't know about it, they won't practice it."
Since world events will still occur, it is best for us to understand them through study, analysis, and discussion. If alternatives fall within the principles of our Constitution and laws, we should be free to make comparisons, even in public schools. This freedom from police action by our government is the basis of our democracy. It is apparent that Governor DeSantis does not understand the basic tenant of freedom in America. Does he just hunger for power at any cost?
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