Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #EdScare
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NEW. An updated book ban report for the current school year from @PENamerica shows how new state laws are supercharging book suppression in schools, esp in Florida. 🧵 #FReadom #EdScare #BookBans
nyti.ms/41DFeJC
nyti.ms/41DFeJC
As I told @nytimes: "This is much bigger than you can really count... People need to understand that it’s not a single book being removed in a single school district, it’s a set of ideas that are under threat just about everywhere.” /2
Read and share:
pen.org/report/banned-…
Read and share:
pen.org/report/banned-…
Critically, although the book ban movement began with individuals and groups acting locally, they're efforts have been enhanced by the passage of state laws, which have together created an unprecedented chilling effect on schools, which we @PENamerica call the #EdScare. /3
IcYMi. In the flurry of other outrageous news... On top of being first to unconstitutionally censor drag shows, now TN is moving to pass a law introducing felony charges and $100K fines for publishers if they sell obscene materials to public schools 🧵
tennessean.com/story/news/pol…
tennessean.com/story/news/pol…
2. Ofc, TN already has laws against distribution of obscene materials to minors. So why this law? Clearly it's got an ulterior motive: to ban books by threatening or censoring publishers.
3. The law will give local DA's and the state AG discretion to determine when a book is 'obscene.' And that's where the sleight of hand is. The bill's sponsor Rep Lynn has a tenuous grasp on what that means, believing any "sexually explicit" content = obscenity. That's not true.
A new bill in Texas, SB 1443, looks to take the censorship crusade in schools to another level.
It would ban LGBTQ topics and sex from books in schools, prohibit referrals to websites, ban drag or other forms of performance in school plays, & penalize publishers 🧵/1
It would ban LGBTQ topics and sex from books in schools, prohibit referrals to websites, ban drag or other forms of performance in school plays, & penalize publishers 🧵/1
The first part of the bill details topics to be barred from all books in schools, incl:
- "any any type of romantic or sexual attraction
between individuals of the same sex"
- "transgenderism"
- "sexual intercourse"
/2
capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/bi…
- "any any type of romantic or sexual attraction
between individuals of the same sex"
- "transgenderism"
- "sexual intercourse"
/2
capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/bi…
Don't miss the part where it would also BAN referring to websites that contain these topics. Breathtaking when you think about it: could students be referred to a news site? wikipedia? Pretty sure there's a lot of the web that acknowledges LGBTQ people exist and sex is a thing /3
Well, it happened. Someone banned a Berenstain Bears book...
It's just 1 of a whopping 176 titles that were ordered out of classrooms in a Florida district. The books were part of a large collection to add diverse & inclusive literature to classrooms. They were ordered off shelves in January for extra "review"...
The list is a breathtaking array of books celebrating the diversity of human identities, cultures, traditions -- books historically not available in schools. The collection was banned wholesale in a multi-racial district! Books by 100+ authors incl @Lupita_Nyongo @LindaSuePark
On Wednesday Rev. Rick Stevens, a leader in FLCA, confessed his “family values” special interest group has lobbied the state legislature for 10+ yrs. Our gerrymandered state legislature is farther today from representing all “the people” then it was in 2018 & 2020…
The “accountability” they seek is a return on investment in their politicians- and the 2022 #EdScare laws were just the beginning.
Keith Flaugh (other leader of FLCA) says they will lobby for the 2023 legislative session to put more teeth into these laws…
Keith Flaugh (other leader of FLCA) says they will lobby for the 2023 legislative session to put more teeth into these laws…
From their point-of-view, Don’t Say Gay and Stop WOKE didn’t go far enough to eliminate “leftist ideology.”
They don’t want to support public education. They want it dismantled.
When you sit out voting in state elections, you allow this to happen. #VoteBlueInFL
They don’t want to support public education. They want it dismantled.
When you sit out voting in state elections, you allow this to happen. #VoteBlueInFL
Today's LGBTQ+ history month-- but it's being censored in schools, esp under Florida's "Don't say gay" law and #EdScare.
One teacher in Palm Beach changed her lesson on Sally Ride - the first US woman to fly in space-- to omit the fact that she was a lesbian.
One teacher in Palm Beach changed her lesson on Sally Ride - the first US woman to fly in space-- to omit the fact that she was a lesbian.
Full story in @washingtonpost from June. Lesson alterations to erase LGBTQ+ history and identities are likely happening across the state.
Coupled with bans targeting LGBTQ+ authors and stories, young people are being deprived of their right to education. washingtonpost.com/education/2022…
Coupled with bans targeting LGBTQ+ authors and stories, young people are being deprived of their right to education. washingtonpost.com/education/2022…
Weeks before "DSG" law took effect, 11 boxes of books from 1 school district were dropped off on the doorstep of the National Stonewall Museum in Fort Lauderdale. Why? Likely for having LGBTQ+ characters and fears of political and parental backlash
sun-sentinel.com/news/education…
sun-sentinel.com/news/education…
Flaugh (FLCA) prefers the word "prohibit" be used instead of “ban.”
Why? Book banning doesn’t poll well.
But when you demand a book about 2 male penguins sitting on an egg be “prohibited” because it’s “inappropriate”, you’re a book-banning homophobe. news-press.com/story/news/edu…
Why? Book banning doesn’t poll well.
But when you demand a book about 2 male penguins sitting on an egg be “prohibited” because it’s “inappropriate”, you’re a book-banning homophobe. news-press.com/story/news/edu…
“While Flaugh said he's glad that school districts in Florida are working on how to "protect children" from books with what he said is obscene material, he added that most of the districts aren't going far enough.”
***PLEASE TAKE NOTICE***
***PLEASE TAKE NOTICE***
"We'll be continuing to work in the legislative cycle to get some additional teeth in that," Flaugh said.Â
FLCA in 2017 drafted the legislation that allowed ANY CITIZEN to challenge a book in public schools (instead of only parents with students enrolled in the District).
FLCA in 2017 drafted the legislation that allowed ANY CITIZEN to challenge a book in public schools (instead of only parents with students enrolled in the District).
NEW: State legislative proposals to restrict the freedom to learn and teach ⬆️ 250% in 2022, reports PEN America. Educational gag orders now law in 19 states home to 122M Americans, underscoring fast escalating threats to #StudentsRights.
More at pen.org/press-release/… #EdScare
More at pen.org/press-release/… #EdScare
New report expands on PEN America’s November 2021 report on educational gag orders & our April 2022 analysis of book bans.
"America’s Censored Classrooms" analyzes 137 educational gag orders in 36 states in 2022 vs. 54 in 22 states in FY 2021. pen.org/press-release/… #EdScare
"America’s Censored Classrooms" analyzes 137 educational gag orders in 36 states in 2022 vs. 54 in 22 states in FY 2021. pen.org/press-release/… #EdScare
Major findings from PEN America's new #AmericasCensoredClassrooms report on educational gag orders (1/2):
NEW from me and @jzfriedman: The next time someone tells you educational gag orders are a partisan issue, send them this link. 17 conservatives on the record, speaking out against legislative restrictions on the freedom to read, learn, and teach. #EdScare pen.org/conservatives-…
Yes, David French and Andrew Sullivan are here. But also: two Republican governors; leaders of the Koch Foundation, the Stand Together Foundation, the Sutherland Institute, the Heritage Foundation, and the National Organization for Marriage; and many, many more.
We need to change the narrative of partisan polarization that has formed around educational gag orders. Here's the truth: 75% of Americans oppose educational gag orders. Thoughtful conservatives and liberals alike oppose these bills. Censorship appeals only to extremists.
Kentucky becomes the fifth state this year to enact an educational gag order. This one "opens teachers up to criminal charges for teaching history incorrectly." The sponsor says it's an oversight and will be fixed. We'll see. #EdScare courier-journal.com/story/news/pol…
KY SB 1 is awful even w/o the criminal charges "mistake." It requires teachers to teach that "defining racial disparities solely on the legacy of [slavery] is destructive to the unification of our nation" and that "America's success" depends on "cooperation among its citizens."
SB 1 also requires teachers to assign a list of 24 historical documents -- chosen by legislators, not teachers, who are apparently not qualified to determine what students should read in their classes. The list includes Ronald Reagan's "A Time for Choosing" speech.
On Friday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee quietly signed HB 2670 into law. It's one of the worst educational gag orders that has become law so far, and it's aimed specifically at higher education. #EdScare wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/Billinfo/…
The bill bans any "mandatory training," which would include classroom instruction, that includes concepts that would "promote resentment" of any "class of people." What's a "class of people"? The law doesn't specify, so it could potentially include enslavers, or Nazis.
HB 2670 passed in part because the Claremont Institute issued a report attacking every administrative department at UT-Knoxville, including community-engaged learning and student affairs, as in the thrall of CRT. TN legislators read it and panicked. tennesseelookout.com/2022/02/17/con…
@pylusd's proposed CRT ban in the media. Our community deserves so much better than this ban and those who support it.
The movement for school "transparency" (aka, teacher surveillance) notched TWO victories in FL this wk.
One bill mandates public websites to search all books/instructional materials used in K-12 schools.
The other does the same for public #highered.
#EdScare 🧵
One bill mandates public websites to search all books/instructional materials used in K-12 schools.
The other does the same for public #highered.
#EdScare 🧵
The K-12 bill (HB1467) mandates public websites to search all books and instructional materials used in schools -- meaning: anything & everything students might see: textbooks, reading lists, manipulatives, electronic media, learning laboratories... wtsp.com/article/news/p…
But the higher ed bill (SB7044) is similar! Others have focused on how it threatens tenure & accreditation.
But it *also* directs all FL colleges & universities to create public searchable websites listing ALL instructional materials for ALL courses. 👀tampabay.com/news/education…
But it *also* directs all FL colleges & universities to create public searchable websites listing ALL instructional materials for ALL courses. 👀tampabay.com/news/education…
At @PENamerica we coined the term the #EdScare to capture the unprecedented and multifaceted efforts to intimidate teachers, legislate prohibitions on classroom discussions, and ban books. Here’s what this all looks like right now in one state:
Florida.
Florida.
The spotlight has rightfully been on the #DontSayGay bill and its ban on “instruction” about sexual orientation and gender identity. But the Sunshine State has become a hotbed for all kinds of education censorship. /2
First, there’s the “STOP WOKE Act” (HB 7) which has cleared the legislature and is now on its way to DeSantis’s desk. The bill will ban educators from teaching certain concepts related to race in schools & colleges. /3 floridaphoenix.com/2022/03/10/gop…
Mississippi will be the 11th state to sign an educational gag order into law, with the passage of SB 2113 by the House. Similar to a bill in Idaho, this is the 2nd state with a bill that explicitly targets academic instruction in higher education. #EdScare supertalk.fm/anti-crt-bill-…
It reads: "No public institution of higher learning, community/junior college, school district or public school, including public charter schools, shall teach a course of instruction or unit of study that directs or otherwise compels students... legiscan.com/MS/text/SB2113…
... to personally affirm, adopt or adhere..." to certain tenets regarding race, sex, ethnicity, religion or national origin.
The bill also prohibits these institutions from making any "distinction or classification of students based on account of race." Vague what that means.
The bill also prohibits these institutions from making any "distinction or classification of students based on account of race." Vague what that means.
The #DontSayGay Bill in FL moves to the senate floor Monday, then likely to DeSantis. The legislation is draconian, banning conversations in schools about LGBTQ+ lives.
But it's just the tip of the iceberg around the country in the #EdScare. 🧵 /1 thehill.com/changing-ameri…
But it's just the tip of the iceberg around the country in the #EdScare. 🧵 /1 thehill.com/changing-ameri…
In TN, HB 800 is under consideration. It would outlaw school materials and textbooks that “promote, normalize, support, or address” LGBTQ issues. Even just "addressing" them! It receives another committee vote on Tuesday. /2 tennessean.com/story/opinion/…
In KS, HB2662 sounds like a pretty standard educational gag order targeting graphic content. But the bill defines “sexual conduct” as anything relating to homosexuality. "Depicting" a same-sex couple could land you in a Kansas courthouse. /3 slate.com/news-and-polit…
It’s #BlackHistoryMonth but the freedom to read, learn, and teach Black history is threatened by educational gag orders that are spreading across the country. nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-ope…
Some bills prohibit the expression of specific viewpoints about slavery and can risk making educators think twice about teaching events that were steeped in racism and are vital for understanding American history, such as the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. pen.org/four-things-ed…
This year, educational gag orders are being aimed squarely at colleges and universities after focusing predominantly on K-12 schools last year. pen.org/in-higher-educ…
