Personal note: I’m still on summer hiatus, which is why you haven’t seen much over the last several weeks. Also, it’s now an endless summer, which is not a slick reference to climate change in Florida, but a nod to being retired.

As such, I won’t spend a lot of time chasing down links and sources. IYKYK, but if you don’t, do it yourself. If you believe this post has errors, submit your comments.

What prompted this column was the Friday roundtable featured on a local NPR station (WJCT) in my hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. When they got around to talking about the education news, they focused on the new African-American history standards that Florida adopted this week.

Much has been written about this, so much that I have left it alone because I really can’t add anything new to the conversation, at least not until I have had time to ponder all the ramifications for the classroom.

But the panel on the radio show made the observation that my former employer is not doing their usual dance about how their opinions and desires may differ, but they have to comply with what the state dictated. They pointed out that the district is saying they will have to review all of it and decide what will take place in the schools, which leaves open the possibility that they might push back.

This follows on a change that the district will allow the return of books to the shelves of school and classroom libraries. They have 1.6 million tomes to review. Previously, all was removed until approved. Now, the district is saying they have 19 banned books, but everything else can go back on the shelf as they work through the long review process. Only if they decide to disallow a book will it be removed.

As I said at the beginning, I’m on summer hiatus until I’m not–much like a book in Duval County. But as I gather my thoughts, I wonder–what changed?

Wherefore the policy change? the change in stance? the willingness to push back?

Maybe my sources are wrong. There’s lots of misinformation and worse, disinformation floating around these days. But if this is true or even mostly true, there is one change that would underlie it all.

There’s a new superintendent. Maybe all the apologists for the previous one should rethink it. Maybe the ‘we have to be compliant’ was really ‘I agree with this <ahem.>’

Maybe. We will know more as the new school year begins.