Fact check: Florida law causes Sarasota schools to halt book purchases, book fairs proceed

Bayliss Wagner, USA TODAY
·5 min read
2

The claim: Sarasota teachers cannot purchase books, accept donated books or order from Scholastic, and their schools will not host book fairs

As Florida schools have begun implementing changes mandated by HB 1467, an education bill signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year, there has been considerable discussion on social media about the new regulations.

One screenshot of a tweet about schools in Sarasota has been shared by The Other 98%, a left-leaning Facebook page with almost 7 million followers.

"My heart is heavy for educators in Sarasota, FL," reads the screenshot. "They were recently told they cannot purchase books or have any books or reading materials donated to their classroom, they can’t order from Scholastic and their schools will not host book fairs."

The Aug. 16 Facebook post was shared more than 4,800 times in two days and drew thousands of comments, many expressing outrage. The original tweet, which was posted by the account @MrsHallScholars, has accrued thousands of retweets since it was posted on Aug. 15.

HB 1467 allows parents to review and contest all instructional materials, including books. The law also sets term limits for school board members, creates selection requirements for school materials and compels districts to hold meetings related to instructional materials in public.

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Sarasota County school teachers have been told not to purchase or accept donated books for their classrooms, including Scholastic books, as the post suggests. The school district told USA TODAY that it is freezing such purchases to remain in compliance with new regulations

Students will still be allowed to order Scholastic books to take home, and the schools can host book fairs scheduled for fall 2022 and spring 2023, pending guidance from the Florida Department of Education, the district told USA TODAY.

USA TODAY reached out to several users who shared the claim for comment.

Sarasota district has temporarily frozen book purchases, donations

Under the new law, any books that Florida schools recommend, assign, or make available to students "must be selected by a school district employee who holds a valid educational media specialist certificate."

As a direct result of this policy, the district wrote, it "has frozen purchases and donations of all books used in school media centers and classroom libraries until at least January 2023." This message was sent to school principals shortly before the first day of school in early August, according to Sarasota County School District spokesperson Kelsey Whealy.

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The temporary halt on book acquisitions will permit the district to hire the necessary specialists – currently, it does not employ any – and to work out any other kinks in implementation, Whealy said.

"Freezing purchases and donations of all books used in school media centers and classroom libraries allows time for hiring and working through existing materials as well as time for the (Florida Department of Education) to provide rules and the district’s curriculum team to provide interpretation and additional guidance on the legislation," Whealy wrote in an email to USA TODAY.

Book fairs and some Scholastic orders still allowed, for now

Claims that teachers "can’t order from Scholastic" are not completely accurate.

While teachers were told they cannot add Scholastic books to their classroom collections, they may still place orders for their students, as the Sarasota Herald-Tribune also reported. Parents must be able to see the book selection before orders are made.

"Scholastic book orders are allowed provided the order form is reviewed by parents in advance and the books aren’t purchased for use in the classroom library or media center at this time," Whealy wrote in an email to USA TODAY.

Claims that schools will not host book fairs are also not accurate, the district said.

"Our Instructional Materials & Library Services team indicated that they’ve advised schools that any book fair slated for the fall can remain scheduled, pending further guidance, and the possibility of rescheduling," Whealy wrote. "Schools without book fairs scheduled for the fall may reschedule until spring 2023."

However, the district said any guidance related to instructional materials is subject to change depending on further guidance from the state's Department of Education.

Fact check: State civics teacher training seminar in Florida was voluntary

USA TODAY has also debunked other claims regarding education measures in Florida, including false and misleading assertions that the state banned 25 books in schools and teachers had to attend three-day civics training seminars.

Our rating: Partly false

Based on our research, we rate PARTLY FALSE the claim that Sarasota teachers cannot purchase books, accept donated books or order from Scholastic, and their schools will not host book fairs. A temporary freeze is in place, and at this time, teachers cannot purchase books or accept donations for their classroom libraries, including Scholastic book orders, according to information from the Sarasota County School District. However, students can still purchase Scholastic books to take home and the district has advised schools that "any book fair slated for the fall can remain scheduled, pending further guidance, and the possibility of rescheduling."

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Posts on Sarasota County school regulations are misleading