A book about the late Afro Puerto Rican MLB legend Roberto Clemente that was removed from public schools in Florida’s Duval County pending a review over its references to racism and discrimination has been approved for student use.
“Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates” by Jonah Winter and illustrated by Raúl Colón was among the more than 1.5 million titles that had to be “covered or stored and paused for student use” at the Duval County Public Schools District while it was determined if such books complied with state laws, according to Chief Academic Officer Paula Renfro.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed laws last year requiring schools to rely on certified media specialists to approve which books could be integrated into classrooms. Guidance on how that would be implemented was provided to schools in December.
Books must align with state standards such as not teaching K-3 students about gender identity and sexual orientation; not teaching critical race theory — which examines systemic racism in American society — in public grade schools; and not including references to pornography and discrimination as defined by the state, according to the school district.
In January, more than 50 certified media specialists for Duval started reviewing over 1.5 million book titles. Approximately 7,000 books have been reviewed and approved for student use as of Monday, according to the school district.
“The book is now available to students,” Sonya Duke-Bolden, a spokesperson with the Duval County Public Schools District told NBC News Wednesday in reference to the Clemente book.
Clemente died in 1972, when his plane crashed off the coast of Puerto Rico as he was delivering relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. He was 38.
Clemente became a posthumous Baseball Hall of Famer, with exactly 3,000 hits, four National League batting titles, 12 Gold Gloves, an MVP award, two World Series championships and 15 All-Star appearances.
Clemente…
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