A substitute teacher in Jacksonville was fired after video he posted on social media showed rows of empty bookshelves in Mandarin Middle School’s library, an action Duval County Public Schools deemed a violation of the social media and cellphone policy.
The teacher, Brian Covey, told News4JAX he posted the video to expose the public to the impact of new state-wide laws requiring the mass review of all library media and classroom materials. Several teachers across the state have been sharing similar photos and videos of bookshelves in an effort to reveal how school districts are responding to those new Florida laws.
The school district says Covey's video didn't tell the full story. On Friday, three weeks after Covey’s video was posted, the district’s communications team posted a reply: a video showing what appears to be the same library from another angle, and shows several book-lined shelves.
The viral video you are sharing shows less than half the story. Yes, those shelves were empty. But they were in a room full of books. See the video below for the full story. pic.twitter.com/fy50zNS7Ab
— DCPS (@DuvalSchools) February 17, 2023
Read the rest of this story at News4Jax, a WJCT News partner.