A.G. Gancarski
The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) is backing the Donald Trump administration’s work to remove “racial discrimination and stereotyping in education” from the classroom.
And the agency is ready to help states working to comply with the edict from the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE).
“Florida leads the nation in education, which has included ending policies of racial preferences and discrimination, and we stand ready to assist any state working to comply with the directive from USDOE,” reads a statement from Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr.
After all, he said, Florida has done much of the work already.
“Under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida has been a leader in ending policies that discriminate based on race and encourage racial stereotyping amongst students,” the statement continued.
“Through the Stop WOKE Act, signed in 2022, Governor DeSantis ended the teaching of any concept that promotes, advances, or compels individuals to believe discriminatory concepts such as Critical Race Theory. Additionally, this bill expanded instruction of African American History to develop students’ understanding of the ramifications of prejudice and racism.”
Upon introducing the concepts behind the Stop WOKE Act, DeSantis slammed “woke ideology” and “cultural Marxism,” saying it was “an attempt to really delegitimize our history and our institutions” designed to “tear at the fabric of our society and our culture and things that really we’ve taken for granted.”
The FDOE also notes that DeSantis signed SB 266 in 2023, a bill that bans “institutions from spending federal or state dollars on discriminatory initiatives such as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs.”
“SB 266 also prohibited programs, majors, minors, curriculum and general education core courses that violate Florida law regarding prohibited discrimination or that are based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States,” the FDOE added.
“The Florida State Board of Education followed that by passing a rule to permanently prohibit DEI programs, activities and policies in the Florida College System (FCS).”
When signing the legislation, DeSantis said it struck a blow against a campus “monoculture” that was driven by DEI.
“DEI is better viewed as standing for discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination,” he said. “That has no place in our public institutions.”
9 comments
PeterH
February 17, 2025 at 12:42 pm
MORE FREEDUMB
There were few obstacles to DeSantis’s book burning activities here in ‘heaven’s waiting room’ Floooorida! But you can count on first amendment court challenges in other parts of the USA that may very well change the way Florida pursues it’s cultural war cleansing! 🤡
PeterH
February 17, 2025 at 2:24 pm
…..and Republicans actually had the audacity to label ANYONE WHO DISAGREED WITH THEIR DISCRIMINATION as advocates for “cancel culture!”
Ron Ogden
February 18, 2025 at 2:30 pm
When did DeSantis burn a book? I guess I missed that.
Have any of the books removed from school shelves similarly been barred from being purchased in Florida? Have any of these books been removed from the shelves of public libraries or from the personal bookshelves of any citizens? Do you still own any of them?
Should the government permit books or other media about assertive pornography and sexual violation to be on the shelves of public-school libraries? Should materials that show readers how to create weapons of violence and war be allowed? How about a bartender’s handbook? Should pamphlets teaching how to maximize your marijuana crop yield be found in the section related to natural sciences? Should books about religion be allowed? How about Project 2025? Should a high school sophomore be allowed to read Mein Kampf? The Protocols of the Elders of Zion? Go Set a Watchman? Huckleberry Finn? I’m interested to know. Who is to judge, except of course you?
JD
February 18, 2025 at 5:39 pm
Let’s ask AI to analyze your comments from being a non-partisan opinion for logic and facts (spoiler, you are not going to like it).
Prompt: Analyze this with facts and logic: ”
Ron Ogden
February 18, 2025 at 2:30 pm
When did DeSantis burn a book? I guess I missed that.
Have any of the books removed from school shelves similarly been barred from being purchased in Florida? Have any of these books been removed from the shelves of public libraries or from the personal bookshelves of any citizens? Do you still own any of them?
Should the government permit books or other media about assertive pornography and sexual violation to be on the shelves of public-school libraries? Should materials that show readers how to create weapons of violence and war be allowed? How about a bartender’s handbook? Should pamphlets teaching how to maximize your marijuana crop yield be found in the section related to natural sciences? Should books about religion be allowed? How about Project 2025? Should a high school sophomore be allowed to read Mein Kampf? The Protocols of the Elders of Zion? Go Set a Watchman? Huckleberry Finn? I’m interested to know. Who is to judge, except of course you?”
Ron Ogden’s argument contains multiple logical flaws and misleading comparisons. Let’s break it down.
First, no one has claimed that Ron DeSantis literally burned a book. That’s a strawman argument. The real issue is that his policies have led to books being removed from schools and libraries, which is often referred to as “book banning” or censorship. Florida’s HB 1467, signed by DeSantis, requires books in schools to be reviewed by state-certified media specialists, leading to the removal of hundreds of books, including The Handmaid’s Tale, Beloved, and Slaughterhouse-Five. Teachers and librarians face felony charges if they violate the law, leading to widespread self-censorship.
Next, the claim that none of these books have been barred from purchase is a red herring. The issue isn’t whether individuals can buy them but whether students in public schools have access to them. Removing books from school libraries and classrooms disproportionately affects students who rely on public schools for access to literature and educational material.
Another misleading point is the idea that none of these books have been removed from public libraries. In reality, some public libraries in Florida have pulled books due to pressure from the same policies. In Escambia County, for example, hundreds of books were challenged or removed. And while people can own books privately, that does nothing to address the public education and access issues at play.
The next argument is a false equivalence. The vast majority of books removed are not pornography or explicit material. Books like And Tango Makes Three, a children’s book about two male penguins raising a chick, were challenged under these laws. Books about historical injustices, LGBTQ+ identities, and civil rights have also been removed under vague language about “sexual content.”
The reference to books about making weapons or drugs is another strawman. No one is arguing for schools to stock bomb-making manuals or bartending guides. The books being removed in Florida are literature, history, and social studies materials. Florida’s laws have even led to removals of books on racism, civil rights, and Jewish history, while many books with violent or explicitly racist content remain available.
The mention of religious books is misleading as well. Books about Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and other religions are already present in schools. Ironically, Florida’s policies have led to books about Jewish history and the Holocaust being removed. The bigger issue is that books discussing racism, LGBTQ+ topics, and civil rights are being disproportionately challenged and removed.
Bringing up Mein Kampf and The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is an attempt at misdirection. Those books are widely available in libraries and are often studied in history classes as examples of antisemitic propaganda. The real concern in Florida is that books discussing racism, civil rights, and historical injustices are being removed under vague laws, leading to de facto censorship.
Ogden’s argument relies on logical fallacies like strawman arguments (misrepresenting the opposition’s stance), red herrings (distracting from the real issue), false equivalence (equating legitimate literature with inappropriate content), and misleading framing (suggesting books aren’t “banned” if they can still be purchased, even though their removal from schools limits access for students).
The core issue is that Florida’s laws have led to the mass removal of books, especially those about marginalized communities, civil rights, and history. This is not about protecting children from inappropriate content; it’s about ideological control over public education. The policies go far beyond ensuring age-appropriate material and are being used to silence perspectives that challenge a particular political agenda.
Michael K
February 19, 2025 at 1:43 pm
Excellent!
Bill Hutcheson
February 19, 2025 at 3:13 pm
“All major AI chatbots found to lean left – yes, even Grok”
link cybernews.com
So much for non-partisan..
JD
February 19, 2025 at 5:23 pm
No it doesn’t. There’s not a damn thing in it that’s left. It was logic and debate with facts.
As was quoted “YOU JUST CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH”
HAHA putz.
Earl Pitts "Ron & Casey's Official "Un-Official" 2028 & 2032 POTUS Campaigne Manager" American
February 17, 2025 at 6:16 pm
Good evening America,
STAND BY FOR NEWS!!!
Thank you, Ron, for assisting the other 49 states in Purgeing Dook 4 Brains Leftism from their Education Policies.
This is the Sage Wisdom which Gurantees you and The Beautiful Casey the TWO POTUS TERMS following Trumps term.
All Sage Patriots are hereby advised to Relax Their Political Sphincters as the polling indicates an 88.332% of Americans are looking forward to the TWO Back to Back Desantis POTUS Terms.
AND THAT, AMERICA, IS THE REST OF THE STORY:
Thank you America,
Earl Pitts “Ron & Casey’s Official “Un-Official” 2028 & 2032 POTUS Campaigne Manager” American
Michael K
February 19, 2025 at 6:03 pm
One of the first purges in Germany in the 1930s was to destroy the Magnus Hirschfield Institute and “gender studies.” From there, art was declared degenerate, then book bannings, purges of artists and intellectuals, “cleansing” universities – book-burnings, closing newspapers…. It all starts somewhere. Today, it starts with the relentless attacks on trans people. Now, white supremacists and insurrectionists openly declare their allegiance to Trump.
Who will be next?