Juxtaposition!

I was reading an article on the Florida law that created a “'Victims of Communism Day' in school systems. But it is the drop header that got my attention.

Curriculum upon Return to School: Observing 'Victims of Communism Day'
A new academic year brings new considerations for public school teachers in Florida, as "Victims of Communism Day" and "Don't Say Gay" bills disrupt curriculum
People
By Amanda Taheri
August 11, 2022


As the school year commences in Florida, teachers are being briefed on statewide curriculum changes and updated academic schedules based on the new law Gov. Ron DeSantis signed in May.

The law establishes Nov. 7 as "Victims of Communism Day" in an effort to honor "the people that have fallen victim to communist regimes," DeSantis said. "Teaching our students about those atrocities is the best way to ensure that history does not repeat itself," he added.

In addition to acknowledging "Victims of Communism Day," high school students will now receive at least "45 minutes of instruction in their required United States Government class on topics related to communist regimes and how victims suffered at the hands of these regimes," an official statement from DeSantis' office reads.

But in them same article they write,

The Florida governor has received pushback on several new education bills, including a recent lawsuit against the so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill, which restricts LGBTQ topics in schools. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit write the that bill "effectively silences and erases LGBTQ+ students and families."

I don’t know about you but I think it is very cynical to talk about communism while banning First Amendment rights and limiting what can be discussed in class. To me that seems like something an authoritarian government does.

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Also in Florida... 

Fla. Teacher Resigns After School District Removes His 'Age Inappropriate' Images of Historic Black Americans
Michael James says he hung photos of heroes like Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Colin Powell and Barack Obama to inspire his students
People
By Alexandra Schonfeld
August 11, 2022<


A teacher in Florida has resigned after he says a school district employee removed photos of historic Black American figures from a bulletin board in his classroom.

Michael James, the teacher, reported the incident that occurred at the O.J. Semmes Elementary School to both Escambia County Superintendent Tim Smith and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in an email, The Pensacola Journal reported.

James told the paper that he chose the theme for the bulletin board because the majority of the students in his class are Black and he wanted to showcase leaders that his students could look up to and see themselves in.

James said the images removed from the board included Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Colin Powell and George Washington Carver — and that an image of former President Barack Obama on his desk was also removed.

The people who took down the bulletin board were,

James described the person who took down his images as board-certified behavior analyst for the school district.

[…]

James said the behavior analyst and another behavior coach came into his classroom to help set up on Monday.

[…]

When he asked her what she was doing, "she said something along the lines of it wasn't age appropriate. Something like that," James remembered.

The school board replied and stated,

In a statement provided to the paper, Escambia County Public Schools spokesperson Cody Strother said in a statement on behalf of the school said they were made aware of Smith's resignation Tuesday and are investigating the incident.

"Our office was made aware of this employee's resignation and his stated reasons for resigning very early this morning, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022," the statement read. "Around the same time, we were copied on an email written by this individual and released to the Governor's Office and various media outlets before we had any opportunity to investigate. We are now in the process of conducting a full investigation. If these allegations are deemed factual, we will certainly take corrective action, as it is our aim that all of our teachers feel valued and supported."

Okay, I will give the benefit of the doubt to the school board, they didn’t know about this but my question is why did this “behavior analyst for the school district” think that it was alright to take down the bulletin board? What is the climate like in the school system where someone thinks that the bulletin board wasn’t age appropriate? I don’t know about you but this smacks of racism.

The school climate is one of fear. Fear of saying something wrong and being sued. Fear of Big Brother watching over their shoulder waiting to for teachers to make a say something and ready to pounce. It does not make for a learning environment.