A.G. Gancarski
Homeschoolers aren’t affected by public school libraries, but that didn’t stop Ron DeSantis from decrying a so-called “poem hoax” during a speech before homeschooled students.
DeSantis addressed the Florida Parent-Educators Association Homeschool Convention. The Florida Governor and freshly minted candidate for President railed against media reporting on a poem by Amanda Gorman, the National Youth Poet Laureate, being removed from a Miami Lakes Elementary School after a challenge in which the author was misidentified as Oprah Winfrey.
“This poem hoax. And so what this is, this is some book of poems. I never heard of it,” DeSantis said regarding “The Hill We Climb,” which was read at President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
“I had nothing to do with any of this, but it was a book of poems that was in an elementary school library. And the school or the school district determined that was more appropriate to be in the middle school library. So they moved it from the elementary school library to the middle school library,” DeSantis explained.
The Associated Press reports that the literary work is on the “restricted list.”
“Legacy media outlets are saying that Miami-Dade is banning books, literally just moving it from one part of the (district) to the next is now considered a book ban,” DeSantis said. “Even the school district had to come out and say that’s ridiculous, you know, we made the decision, we think it’s better to be in middle school.”
Indeed, Miami-Dade clarified that the book is now part of the “middle grades collection” in a tweet that didn’t mollify critics.
“When they’re doing that, you know, these legacy media outlets are lying to you. They are trying to create a political narrative that is totally divorced from the facts,” DeSantis contended.
“And if they’re going to do something like this ridiculous poem hoax and actually put that out there and think that you’re going to believe it, honestly, that just shows you they’re insulting your intelligence in our country.”
For her part, Gorman frames the action as a “book ban.”
17 comments
Frankie M.
May 26, 2023 at 10:44 am
It’s not banned people…just restricted. So much better. We love semantics, don’t we?
Le
May 27, 2023 at 8:21 am
DeSantis is probably anti semantic too.
Bruce, Richard
May 26, 2023 at 11:02 am
Editors are failing to do their job in stopping outright lies from being printed.
Josh
May 26, 2023 at 3:43 pm
He’s failing at presenting actual facts. I’ve read on this story from multiple outlets that all tell the same story, but not his. None of them said he or the district banned the book. The parent who challenged it stated SHE wanted it banned & found the age restriction insufficient. She also admitted to not reading the all the books she’s challenged completely. She’s given multiple quotes. If he wanted to clear up what happened, he should include those. This speech looks like an obvious attempt to tarnish media by lying that they’re lying about him.
Jeanne Locke
May 26, 2023 at 11:12 am
What happens to the elementary kid who reads ahead of her grade level? Does she have to stick to Sponge Bob Square Pants until she moves ho middle school?
D Cruz
May 26, 2023 at 9:00 pm
No they banned Sponge Bob Squarepants
Earl Pitts American
May 26, 2023 at 11:54 am
Good morning America,
I, Earl Pitts ” Noted And Revered Political Genious” American have received multitudes of requests to “Weigh In” on the subject of this article.
Side Bar: You there, genteel reader, have you ever been asked by multitudes of Americans to “Weigh In” on anything? I, Earl Pitts American, think not. So just keep that fact in mind before you try to soil the steller reputation of this great on line publication with any of your dook 4 brains commentary.
Now where was I? Oh yeah, back to this trifiling prop@ganda “Litttle Girl Poem” thing.
“I, Earl Pitts American, feel anyone that would pretzel twist a poem witten by a pure sweet little girl for political gamesmanship purposes is the lowest of the low, the stinkest of the stink, the 8utt of the hole of human polite scociety and needs to be severely chastized by me, Earl Pitts American.
Earl Pitts American’s Most Severe Chastizment:
Wherefor: it appears 0pra and 8iden both had their nasty little stink hands in this, I, Earl Pitts American, hereby chastize both The 0pra and that old demented dude 8iden.
Wherefor: it appears unnamed coconspiritors also had their nasty little stink hands in this, I, Earl Pitts American, hereby issue the dreaded “Blanket Chastizment” upon the fool heads of these heretofor unknown coconspiritors.
Please contact my, Earl Pitts American Fan Club, with the names and addresses of anyone you may be standing close to that just had an unexpected chastizement come crashing down upon their fool heads.
Thats one sure-fire way to positivelly root out these unknown coconspirators and bring them to justice.
Thank you America,
Earl Pitts American
Bwj
May 26, 2023 at 5:26 pm
Whatever hallucinogenic you’re doing, please stop.
Dont Say FLA
May 26, 2023 at 12:35 pm
Criticism of something Rhonda did wrong is said to be a “hoax.” Where have we heard that before?
A “witch hunt” is coming up in short order. Very short.
PeterH
May 26, 2023 at 12:46 pm
Actually Ron….. UOU ARE RESPONSIBLE! THIS IS YOUR BAN. YOUR POLICIES HAVE GIVEN A VOICE TO HATERS.
The parent behind Amanda Gorman’s poem ban in a Florida school appears to have attended Proud Boys rallies and has previously posted antisemitic memes online.
The parent, first identified by the Miami Herald as Daily Salinas, made headlines this week after reports emerged of her effort to ban a series of books at the elementary Bob Graham education center in Miami Lakes where her two children attend.
Jerry and Kathryn Goodell
May 26, 2023 at 4:14 pm
Has anyone actually read this poem–one of hope and optimism? If this is banned or “restricted”, there is little left that can be read. It’s a moving, lovely poem
Lincoln
May 26, 2023 at 4:45 pm
The woman who requested Gorman’s poem be removed separately was posting images of the “Protocols of Zion” on her social media. So we know exactly where she is coming from.
WhatNow
May 26, 2023 at 5:35 pm
“This poem hoax. And so what this is, this is some book of poems. I never heard of it,.” – Well OF COURSE he didn’t, self-obsessed moron that he is. Pretty much everyone else in the country has, but not this sniveling little creep who seems to disdain every child other than his own kids. It might be interesting to see what his kids have to say about their father once they’re grown adults.
RW
May 26, 2023 at 10:46 pm
So now it’s ok to judge a book by the color of the author’s skin?
Mr
May 27, 2023 at 7:40 am
DeSantis lies like a cheap rug.
WGD
May 27, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Look at DeSantis trying to run away from the consequences of his own policy by lying about it. He seems to think that since Trump gets away with lying about everything he can too.
Neva Rae Powers
May 27, 2023 at 4:36 pm
What a jackass!! This is total bullshit. No reason n not to leave the book in an elementary school lesson library.
Comments are closed.