VOLUME 5 ISSUE 16
Who won the Cheesecake Battle on April 16? APRIL 19 - APRIL 25, 2024
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DeSantis signs book review, charter school changes
By Ryan Dailey Florida News Service
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fter more than 1,200 objections were filed to school-library books and other materials last school year, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed a bill that will limit challenges by some people. The wide-ranging bill (HB 1285) also includes making changes designed to ease the process of charter schools taking over operations at traditional public schools that lag in performance. The part of the measure dealing with book challenges came after the Republicancontrolled Legislature and DeSantis in the past two
years approved measures that ramped up scrutiny of library books and classroom materials. It also came after highly publicized disputes about removing books. More than half of the 1,218 book objections during the 2022-2023 school year occurred in two counties, Clay and Escambia, according to a Senate staff analysis. The objections resulted in the removal of 186 books in the two counties. The bill will require that any “resident of the county who is not the parent or guardian of a student with access to school district materials may not object to
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more than one material per month.” During a media event Monday, DeSantis said that some people who filed mass objections to books made a “mockery” of the process. “The idea that someone can use the parents’ rights and the curriculum transparency to start objecting to every single book, to try to make a mockery of this, is wrong. And you had examples where books were put under review that are just normal books that have been in education for many many years,” DeSantis said. Using the example of Escambia County, DeSantis said the county “had a lot of books that should not have been under review” and said instances of mass book objections came “from all ends of the political spectrum.” “There’s some people that really think all these books that have been in school are inappropriate. There’s other people
that know that they’re appropriate, but are trying to act like Florida does not want these books in,” DeSantis said. Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said Monday that the new limit on book challenges will help school districts in reviewing objections. “That will make the process easier for the district to get through, because you can actually review the book in a timely manner,” Diaz said. Meanwhile, parts of the bill related to underperforming public schools would “add some oomph” to the state’s process of allowing charter schools to take over operations, DeSantis said. Under state law, if a school receives consecutive D or F grades based on various performance criteria, the school is given two years to improve to a C grade under what’s known as a “turnaround plan.” If the school’s grade See Book, page A2
DeSantis appoints four to McIntosh Town Council after mass resignations By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com
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ov. Ron DeSantis appointed four people to the McIntosh Town Council on April 12 to fill the vacancies left by the mass resignations over the recent change in requirements for local officials’ financial disclosures. Eva Callahan, William “Lee” Deadrick, Donald Medeiros and Richard Talbert were chosen by the governor to be the newest members of the town council. Former councilmembers Mark Naworensky, Melinda Jones, Suzanne Sindledecker and Scott Mullikin resigned in December after the Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill 774, which requires mayors and governing elected officials to file Form 6, which requires disclosure of net worth and assets in greater detail. Previously, the county commission members had to file Form 6 while city officials only had to file Form 1. The McIntosh Town Council members, along with officials from Reddick and Dunnellon, resigned citing privacy concerns over the increased requirement. McIntosh Town Council Vice See McIntosh, page A2
SPECIAL SCREENING A VIP reception and showing of “Ocklawaha: Tales My Father Told” will take place April 22. By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com
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he film “Ocklawaha: Tales My Father Told” is billed as a “symphonic poem” by John Gottsch, who is the composer. The narrator is Peter Coyote and Ocala’s Emmy-winning Mark Emery is the director of photography. The author and producer is Steve Robitaille, also an Emmy-winner. The film will be screened at 6:30 p.m. on April 22 at the Marion Theatre at 50 S. Magnolia Ave., Ocala, presented by the Florida Defenders of the Environment and the Marion Cultural Alliance. A pre-screening VIP reception will be held at the MCA’s Brick City Center for the Arts at 23 SW Broadway St. from 5 to 6 p.m. with libations and light refreshments. Emery and Robitaille will be on hand for the reception. “The childhood tales that Gottsch heard come to life in scenes filmed along the Ocklawaha River. Producer and writer Steve Robitaille collaborated with the composer on the narration, exploring the theme that both nature
and the humans residing along the river aspire to be free. The film’s diverse cast reflects the various cultures and histories conveyed by Gottsch’s father, including the Seminole Indians and their wars, as well as enslaved blacks and their subsequent freedom during the American Civil War. Emery’s exceptional nature cinematography, widely showcased on National Geographic and the BBC, complements the tales with an impressionistic representation of the mystical Ocklawaha,” noted the news release. After the film screening, audience members can talk with the film’s production team. Significant funding for “Ocklawaha: Tales My Father Told” was provided by Marion Cultural Arts/NEA, The Felburn Foundation, the LILAC Foundation, Duke Energy and contributions from Florida Defenders of the Environment members and sponsors, according to the release.
Tickets to the film screening and VIP reception are available at bit.ly/ocklawaha-tales
[Photos supplied]
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