Posters Of Black Heroes Removed From Teacher's FL Classroom: Report

ESCAMBIA COUNTY, FL — An Escambia County Schools teacher resigned this week amid claims another district employee removed posters of Black American heroes from his classroom walls, according to a Pensacola News Journal report.

Former special education teacher Michael Smith contacted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Escambia County Superintendent Tim Smith, telling them the posters were removed from his classroom at O.J. Semmes Elementary School because they were deemed "age-inappropriate," the News Journal reported.

Smith said he chose the theme because a majority of neighborhood residents and students at O.J. Semmes are Black, according to the News Journal.

The district hasn't named the employee who removed the posters, but Smith identified her as a board-certified behavior analyst for the district.

Smith said the district has launched an investigation into the incident. Teachers are allowed to decorate their classrooms and Smith told the News Journal he's unaware of any policy prohibiting posters of inspirational people.

Charlie Crist, the Democratic candidate for Florida governor, issued a statement Wednesday addressing Smith's resignation, calling it the "sad reality of DeSantis' Florida."

"His culture wars are infiltrating every corner of our state, including our classrooms," Crist's statement read. "Florida deserves a governor that gives students the freedom to learn and educators the freedom to teach."

Smith's resignation came a day before many students headed back to Florida schools for the 2022-23 school year. Florida was expected to have more than 60,000 new students this year, yet the state was short about 14,000 teachers and staff, WPTV reported, citing data from the Florida Education Association.

The shortages come after several pieces of controversial legislation went into effect, including the "Don't Say Gay" bill, which prohibits schools from teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third-grade classrooms or in a manner that is not age- or developmentally appropriate.

The bill allows parents to sue Florida schools if these discussions take place, and it requires schools to alert parents if there's any change to a student's mental, emotional or physical health