DeSantis calls media's narrative on Florida education policies a 'book ban hoax'
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hit back at media "narrative" on Florida's education policies, saying the press has created a "book ban hoax" and misrepresented what state schools are allowed to teach.
A public school district in Wisconsin told Fox News Digital Thursday that a recently added book series, which parents criticized as both violent and sexual, would no longer be available in its e-library.
Elmbrook Schools previously added five volumes from the "Assassination Classroom" series, which details the plot by a group of students to assassinate their alien teacher, to its e-library starting with the 2021-2022 school year. The series was previously endorsed by the district's librarians, according to an email exchange provided to Fox News Digital by a concerned parent.
"After applying our current book acquisition guidelines to this series we have decided to remove these books from our collection," the district wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital, stating they made their decision Thursday morning.
Book Looks' description of Volume 1 in the series warns it "contains explicit violence; mild profanity; and sexual activities."
Jacob Lessard reads the book "Goosebumps" to a group of cats at the Animal Refuge League Wednesday, October 7, 2015. (Photo by Gabe Souza/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images) (Photo by Gabe Souza/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
The science fiction "manga" series, which is a type of comic or graphic novel originating from Japan, documents the repeated attempts by a group of students to assassinate their alien teacher, and includes sexualized content and pictures of students bringing guns and knives into class.
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"Ever caught yourself screaming, ‘I could just kill that teacher?’ What would it take to justify such antisocial behavior and weeks of detention?" the Amazon description of the series reads.
One of the books introduces a female assassin hired as an English teacher at the school, who uses her "womanly charms" to kill her targets, according to Book Looks, which provides reviews of books parents may be concerned about.
"He's checking her out!!" one student says of their alien teacher in regard to the female assassin. "He's not even trying to hide it," another student adds, "Yeah … figured he'd like curves," a third student chimed in.
Elementary school students read books donated by O3 Books. (Pathik Oza/O3 Books) ((Pathik Oza/O3 Books))
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Kay Koepsel-Benning, Elmbrook's Director of Library Services previously told a parent whose child attends high school in the district that "context is always important" and provided reasons she believed the book was appropriate for students, according to an email shared with Fox News Digital.
"Front and center in our discussion should be the fact that the teacher in this series is an alien octopus determined to destroy Earth," Koepsel-Benning told the parent. "This is a science fiction manga (comic or graphic novel originating from Japan) series."
Senior Airman Paweena Vennum reads to children March 23, 2022, on Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt. Natalie Powell)
The mother raised concerns that the district might be promoting gun violence against teachers by including the series, but Koepsel-Benning described this claim as "inaccurate," adding that the district librarians "are professionals promoting reading and learning, working day in and day out serving our learning community."
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Parents previously told Fox News Digital that they were concerned by the "hypersexualization of minors" and the "disconnect between community values and the values promoted by public schools."
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