![]() Rodriguez, who was elected to the school board last fall, was endorsed by the conservative parents' rights group Moms for Liberty. "But allowing movies such as this, assist teachers in opening a door, and please hear me, they assist teachers in opening the door for conversations that have no place in our classrooms." "It is not a teacher's job to impose their beliefs upon a child: religious, sexual orientation, gender identity, any of the above," Rodriguez said. Teachers stay for the children, but because of the laws and the fear of being let go for saying one wrong thing, they can't connect to their students."Īt the end of the school board meeting Tuesday, Rodriguez said Barbee broke school policy because she did not get the specific movie approved by school administration and said the teacher is "playing the victim." Rodriguez's daughter is also in Barbee's class. They're basically a caregiver who has to teach the standards. ![]() "Times have changed so much and they are so micromanaged, they're not allowed to teach anymore. "I work with teachers who have taught for 20 years, 30 years, tell me every day it never used to be like this. ![]() I've had to learn so much this year," she told the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida. Barbee said every student in her class had a signed parent permission slip that said PG movies were allowed. In Barbee's public comments, she alluded to her seven-year-old expunged record on a fraud charge, acknowledging she has made mistakes but showing a Disney movie is not one of them. Hernando County's school district confirmed a fifth-grade teacher is being investigated for showing "Strange World," and that a parent complained to the principal about the movie not being appropriate for students. DeSantis signs bill targeting teachers' unions, classroom social media ban Teacher speaks out in public comments amid investigation Opponents of the law say the vague wording unfairly targets books and classroom materials with gay and transgender characters and themes.ĭeSantis education bills: Florida Gov. Also known as "Don't Say Gay" by critics, teachers have expressed anxiety and confusion over the vague wording of the law for fear of losing their teaching licenses or criminal penalties if found in non-compliance. ![]() "The word indoctrination is thrown around a lot right now, but it seems that those who are using it are using it as a defense tactic for their own fear-based beliefs without understanding the true meaning of the word," Barbee said.įlorida educators are prohibited from teaching about gender and sexual identity due to the Parental Rights in Education Act, signed by Gov. A Florida teacher is under investigation by the state Department of Education after what she believes is a targeted attack by a school board member who took issue with a Disney movie shown in her classroom.Īt a Hernando County School Board meeting Tuesday, fifth-grade teacher Jenna Barbee alleged school board member Shannon Rodriguez reported her to the Florida Department of Education for showing her students Disney's 2022 movie "Strange World." It's the first Disney movie with an openly gay character.īarbee, a teacher at Winding Waters K-8, said during public comment the Disney movie tied into her students' Earth science lesson and did not have sexually inappropriate content.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |