Education Secretary Cardona takes veiled dig at DeSantis, GOP leaders: ‘Ban assault weapons, not books’

In a recent interview with Reuters, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona appeared to take some political snipes at Republicans in local governments, saying they should prioritize banning assault rifles and not books if they care about their children.

He also slammed conservatives pushing to ban Critical Race Theory (CRT) in public school curricula, saying the initiative is about using a “boogeyman” to create “division.” 

The education secretary spoke to Reuters on Tuesday about the challenges facing the U.S. education system, making his opinion clear that things conservatives are worried about being in schools are not the most compelling ones. 

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Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., Aug. 8, 2022.  (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)

He began the interview with criticism for Americans he claimed were attacking “Black curriculum.” Reuters prefaced his response, saying, “Cardona said he was witnessing an unprecedented attack on public education, including specific curricula, in an effort to bolster private schooling.”

“Black curriculum,” Cardona stated. “Books that promote the beauty of diversity and how this country was founded. Attacks on accurate facts of history. I’ve never seen that. To me, that’s an attempt to create division in education so that you can try to sell a ‘better’ option.”

Florida’s Department of Education recently compelled “The College Board” to remove CRT elements from a course it was proposing for state high schools. 

The board complied, but not before politicians and media outlets accused the Republican-dominated Florida government and Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., himself of erasing Black History and whitewashing school courses.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has boasted that Florida is the state where “woke goes to die.”  (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

“Republican officials have been at the forefront of a series of disputes over teaching sexuality, gender identity and race in U.S. schools,” Reuters reported.

Furthermore, Cardona added pro-gun control comments to his condemnation of banning books, saying, “Instead of focusing on banning books, they should start thinking about banning assault weapons.”

On the topic of CRT, the education secretary said he believed that activists calling out and combating the issue were simply making “bogeyman” based on “misinformation.”

He stated, “It really is misinformation. It’s like looking for a boogeyman to create … a division.” 

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“Suggesting that schools are featuring CRT, a once obscure academic concept most often taught in law schools rather than grade or high schools, has become a rallying cry of sorts in election campaigns for some Republicans,” Reuters wrote of CRT.

“Gender Queer” and other sexually graphic books have come under fire for being presented to children, with the North Dakota legislature considering a ban on such material (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)