Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis blamed teachers unions for manufacturing outcries over his state's education legislation.
During a press conference in Jacksonville, DeSantis was asked about the Stop Woke law forcing Duval County Public Schools to remove a book about Puerto Rican baseball star Roberto Clemente because it mentioned racism.
"That's politics, though, to be honest with you," DeSantis told reporters Tuesday. "Come on. Roberto Clemente? I mean, seriously. That's politics. I think the school unions are involved with this. You guys can [Freedom of Information Act] get some of these communications. I guarantee you you'll find some of that with the people that are doing it. So that's a joke, OK?"
DeSantis, widely considered a potential candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, signed the Stop Woke Act into law in April. It prevents school districts from teaching critical race theory.
"You get something like that about a baseball player — first of all, I don't think parents are challenging that," DeSantis said during the press conference.
"I think [teachers are] doing it unilaterally to try to create an issue, but that can be resolved in about two minutes … but none of these things — 99% of this stuff is manufactured. It's not what you need to be spending time on."
DeSantis also has targeted the removal of books from elementary and middle schools that talk explicitly about sex.
"How, if it's too graphic for a school board meeting with adults, it's OK to do for a fifth grader or sixth grader?" DeSantis said. "Of course, it's not. Let's just get real here. There is unfortunately an effort in our country to try to jam some of this stuff into the elementary and middle schools.
"When you have the books that the parents really are concerned about, with the inappropriate [material], nobody justifies it. That's so much different. Having [a book with] young kids engaging in sex acts, you're going to compare that to a biography of Roberto Clemente? Give me a break."
Earlier this month, the College Board revised its new Advanced Placement (AP) high school course on African American studies after DeSantis said it was based on a "political agenda."
"We want education, not indoctrination," DeSantis said in January. "If you fall on the side of indoctrination, we're going to decline."
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