Reporter tries to make DeSantis ‘uncomfortable’ on empty school library video
Lydia Nusbaum contributed to this report.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (FLV) – At a press conference Tuesday where Gov. Ron DeSantis announced plans to reform aspects of Florida’s legal system, one reporter from First Coast News was caught on a hot mic preparing to make the governor “uncomfortable.”
Reporter Atyia Collins described her job as asking “tough questions” and making DeSantis “uncomfortable.”
“I’ma try to at least get one,” she said to another person who told her to “go for it.”
During the questions part of the press conference, she claimed videos depicted Duval County bookshelves as “emptied in response to Florida’s new guidelines on books.”
Before finishing, DeSantis chimed in and said, “Actually, you know, that video – that was a fake narrative, that was not true.”
“This is trying to create some narrative – they hadn’t even put the books out yet to begin with […] They’re trying to act like somehow, we don’t want books,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis brushed off the notion teachers would face felony charges and noted “longstanding law” prohibiting adults giving children pornography.
“Understand, they’re talking about longstanding Florida law that’s trying to protect young children. I think they’re trying to do things to virtue signal, I think it’s all politically motivated,” the governor said.
Watch the reporter’s full hot mic moment below:
First Coast News published a story where they said they “verified” teachers “could be committing a third-degree felony by having books and literature about certain topics in their classroom.”
The Florida Department of Education said teachers’ unions are scaring teachers after confusion erupted regarding a current law where adults can face a third-degree felony for providing minors with sexual material.
Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said there are “false narratives” circulating after some Florida school libraries removed books from the shelves following new training material for media specialists.
“It’s unfortunate that certain media continue to spread lies and scare teachers for no reason,” Diaz said.
Florida lawmakers passed HB 1467 in mid-2022, which required media specialists go through approved training to brush up on Florida law before approving books for classrooms and libraries. The training materials highlight Florida laws, including one where it is a third-degree felony for “any adult” to distribute pornographic materials to minors.
The training materials were officially approved by the Board of Education in January. However, a spokesperson for the department said because the bill went into effect on July 1, schools should have been working on implementing the new law.
“Bottom line: school districts had over seven months to adhere to the requirements within the bill,” department communications director Alex Lanfranconi said.
He noted that the Florida law making it a felony for any adult to provide minors with obscene material is not new and is not specific to library media materials.
“Now – all of a sudden – we are seeing teachers’ unions pretending to be confused about HB 1467, spreading lies and causing fear in classrooms. The most egregious lie is that teachers can face a felony simply for providing a disallowed book. This is blatantly untrue,” Lanfranconi said.
“Anyone conflating this serious criminal offense with an educator simply providing students a benign book is not telling the truth. The unions know this, but since their goal is to sow confusion, they continue to mislead the public.”
In January, teachers in Duval County and Manatee County began clearing their bookshelves out of confusion, with the video clips of cleared shelves going viral. News stories highlighted teachers’ union presidents and school leaders telling teachers to hide their books to avoid felony charges.
