No more book bans: how Florida students are pushing rightwingers out of school boards
Summary
A group of progressive candidates won key school board elections in Florida, defeating candidates supported by the rightwing group Moms for Liberty. The election results show a pushback against efforts to change school curricula with conservative ideas and remove books addressing topics like racism and LGBTQ+ history.Key Facts
- Moms for Liberty is a rightwing group that gained influence on school boards by opposing mask mandates and pushing conservative ideas in schools.
- They pressured schools to remove mentions of LGBTQ+ Americans, slavery, and racism from teaching materials.
- Governor Ron DeSantis supported teaching that some Black people benefited from slavery, which concerned some Black parents.
- Jimmy Glover, a Black father, ran for Sarasota’s school board to oppose these changes and promote accurate history education.
- Progressive candidates won or performed strongly in many Florida school board races, reversing some gains made by Moms for Liberty in 2022.
- In Sarasota, progressive candidates replaced more conservative board members, including winning support over founders of Moms for Liberty.
- Moms for Liberty said they still won or advanced in many races but endorsed fewer candidates this year.
- The results are seen as a sign of changing opinions in a strongly Republican area, with activists hopeful for further progress.
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