The retirement of the biography of the Puerto Rican baseball player Roberto Clementefrom the libraries of the Duval school district, in Florida, has sparked controversy in the state.
Roberto Clemente: The pride of the Pittsburgh Piratesabout the Puerto Rican star, member of the Hall of Fame, and other books about Latin figures, such as the late Cuban salsa singerCelia Cruz and Judge Sonia Sotomayor, are "covered or stored and paused for student use" in the Duval County Public School District, as having "content too mature for the grade level for which they were included in that collection" according to explainedPEN America, a New York-based nonprofit organization that works to defend free speech.
The illustrated children's book about Clemente is part of a larger set of176 books included in a collection known asEssential Voices Classroom Libraries Collection (Essential Voices Collection for Classroom Libraries), acquired by the Duval School District in 2021.
All are under state review and out of reach of students, to determine if they comply with state laws and can be included in school libraries, as revealed in a note fromNBC News.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed laws last year requiring schools to rely on certified media specialists toapprove which books can be integrated into classrooms.
The county has not said when it expects to complete its review of the books.They have been stored for 10 months and district personnel, trained by state officials, must approve the books.
The collection includes personalities representing a variety of ethnicities, religious affiliations, and gender identities, and includes children's picture books such aserase, by Lupita Nyong;Henry Aaron's dream, de Matt Tavares;My two parents and I, by Michael Joosten and Izak Zenou, who were also removed from Duval County public schools.
A state law that went into effect in 2011 requires that books in school libraries be in line with state standards,not teaching students about gender identity and sexual orientation;not teaching critical race theory, which examines systemic racism in American society; anddo not include references to pornography and discrimination.
According to the Florida Department of Education, the law applies not only to school libraries, but also to classroom libraries, many of them stocked with copies provided by teachers themselves.
Roberto Clemente gives its name to an award given by the Major Leagues to a player with outstanding baseball skills and who is personally involved in community work.
"When a book and a collection are banned likeEssential Voices, not only are books being removed, but communities are being silenced," said Dani Gabriel, author of Sam!, one of the removed books.
For his part, the son of the Pittsburgh Pirates player, Roberto Clemente Jr., declared toNBC News that "his story is his story. He went through racism. It's something that can't be changed," but added "Obviously, for younger students, if it's something that they feel is too much for them, they might be able to use a different book with the same story, but it's framed differently for them, so for that age group."
The purge is part of the context of DeSantis' offensive toend programs on diversity, equity and inclusion, and critical race theory in public education.
Earlier this year, the Republican introduced a proposal to prohibit higher education institutions from using any funding, regardless of source, to support diversity, equity and inclusion programs, known as DEI, and critical race theory. (CRT), in addition to other "discriminatory" initiatives.
In January, the Florida Department of Education (FDOE)rejected a class on African American studiesin state high schools for being "inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacking educational value."
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