Florida has become the third-highest state for its number of school book banning incidents in the nation after Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law House Bill 1467. The law allows the public to challenge any educational materials they find objectable.
The bill originated after parents complained about sexually explicit literature being taught in Florida schools.
With currently over 200 books banned from libraries and classrooms, political activist Chaz Stevens suggested schools also ban the Christian Bible.
Stevens sent petitions citing the Governor's approved legislation to public school superintendents in eight districts across the Sunshine State and instructed them to "immediately remove the Bible from the classroom, library, and any instructional material."
He continued:
"Additionally, I also seek the banishment of any book that references the Bible."
Stevens told the New Times:
"If they're gonna ban books, then the whole library should be in play."
"My hope—and it's a longshot—is that they will apply their own standards to themselves and ban the Bible."
The tipping point for Stevens came this month when the state rejected 54 math textbooks from curriculums allegedly for including topics like "Critical Race Theory."
"I love the algebras," Stevens told NPR. "And those Tally [Tallahassee] loons just banned a bunch of arithmetic books?"
On April 19, Stevens addressed MDCPS Superintendent Jose Dotres and wrote:
"I wish to file such an objection, requesting the Miami-Dade County Public School system immediately remove the Bible from the classroom, library, and any instructional material."
"And, as is often the case with banned books, I ask your agency lay flame to that giant stack of fiction in a pyre worthy of a Viking sendoff."
He used the same argument of age appropriateness used by conservatives to counter the book banning movement by mentioning the Bible's "casual" references to murder, adultery, sexual immorality and fornication.
"Do we really want to teach our youth about drunken orgies?" he wrote.
Stevens said he sent the petitions to expose the hypocrisy.
"If you want to teach morality and ethics, do you really want to turn to a book that wants you to dash babies against rocks?" he asked, referencing Psalm 137:9.
He has yet to receive a genuine response from any of the school districts.
According to the New Times, one South Florida school district acknowledged receipt of Stevens' letter.
Elmo R. Lugo, a spokesperson for MDCPS, told the news outlet via email:
"We acknowledge receipt of the subject letter. District staff will review it and respond accordingly."
Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) Superintendent Vickie L. Cartwright's office has not commented on whether or not they received Stevens' letter or how they plan to address it.
Stevens warned:
"They better not f'king ignore me. If they ignore me, doesn't that tell you something?"
"The government can't pick and choose religion, but can they choose which books they review for banning and which ones they don't?"
In the meantime, his group has been tracking when the emailed petitions have been opened.
He said the Pasco County School District had shared the email internally 35 times as of Monday and Duval County has sought guidance from the state capital.
Stevens said the goal of his mission is "merely to turn hypocrisy on itself and let the bureaucrats eat each other for lunch."
