Biden education secretary rails against Republican-led 'book bans': Using education as a 'political football'

Biden Education Secretary Miguel Cardona railed against Republican-led book bans Wednesday, calling pushes to remove content containing LGBTQ+ themes as well as alleged restrictions on Black history material in public schools "heartbreaking."

"As U.S. secretary of education, as well as a father and lifelong educator, here’s what I know to be true: Parents don’t want politicians dictating what their children can learn, think and believe. That’s not how public education is supposed to work in a free country," he wrote in a guest column published in The Tampa Bay Times on Thursday.

He alleged that an overwhelming majority of parents are upset with politicians' attempts to use their children's education as a "political football" in refusing to allow curriculum that violates their own opinions.

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Miguel Cardona speaks after President-Elect Joe Biden announced him as his nominee for Education Secretary at the Queen theatre on December 23, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. (Photo by Joshua Roberts/Getty Images)

Cardona presumably turned the article into a jab at GOP leaders like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who came under fire for pushing back against an allegedly "woke" College Board outline for an AP African-American Studies course earlier this year, and ventured into a discussion of censoring Black history and culture.

"It’s heartbreaking, for example, to see politicians trying to prevent students from learning about the history, arts and culture, contributions and experiences of African Americans — especially when Black history is a vital part of our shared American story," Cardona later said.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks after being sworn in to begin his second term during an inauguration ceremony outside the Old Capitol on Jan. 3, 2023, in Tallahassee, Florida. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

"They want to ban kids from learning the truth when it doesn’t align with their political agenda. But it’s vital for all of us to understand our full history — the triumphs and the tragedies — so we can build a stronger, shared American future."

DeSantis, as the most notorious example cited by opponents who allege he actively censored Black history and culture, claimed the proposed framework for the AP African-American Studies course violated Florida's "Stop WOKE Act" by containing content regarding Black Queer Theory and critical race theory-based material.

Cardona's next hit fired back at attempts to strip LGBTQ+ content from public schools, including some movements in predominantly red states and districts to restrict or monitor what is being taught in the classroom or placed in school libraries.

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"It’s just as disturbing that some politicians want to limit our children’s freedom to read. Over the last year, 4 million students have had their reading censored through book bans — with the majority of book bans censoring stories of people of color or LGBTQ Americans," he wrote.

"Just imagine being a parent whose kid has never read a single book in school about a family who looks like theirs," he added.

Many Republicans, however, contend that such books, including those like the infamous Maia Kobabe graphic novel "Gender Queer" are age-inappropriate, with some containing explicit content referencing sexual acts.

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Cardona alleged that censorship of academic material not only goes "against our values as a nation" but it also makes learning more difficult. 

"The thousands of families I’ve met want more — not fewer — books on the shelves of their schools and local libraries," he said.

The education secretary also lambasted some Republicans' calls for "steep cuts to federal funding" for education, claiming the Biden administration has contrastingly put forth "real policies" geared toward giving students the funding they need.

"We do not dictate what is taught in classrooms. But we do stand up for what we’re hearing from parents across America," he said.