The Florida Board of Education approved a ban on classroom instruction consisting of sexual orientation and gender identity in all school grades on Wednesday, thanks to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ request.
The proposal expands the Parental Rights in Education Law – you have probably heard of the bill dubbed as “Don’t Say Gay” even though the bill mentions nothing of the sort – which will take effect after a procedural notice period expected to last about a month.
The expansion bans lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity through 12th grade unless it is required by existing state standards or is part of reproductive health instruction, which students can choose to opt out of. As of present, Florida currently bans these lessons from children up to third grade.
DeSantis’ administration put forward the proposal last month, with Education Commissioner Manny Davis Jr. being the point of contact for direct questioning. To clarify any confusion, Diaz Jr. stated that teachers should not be deviating from the existing curriculum.
“We’re not removing anything here,” Diaz Jr. said on Wednesday. “All we are doing is we are setting the expectations so our teachers are clear: that they are to teach to the standards.”
Educators have mentioned they do not expect a major change in lesson plans relating to the state education curriculums, while other critics have said that the policy is a culture war meant to satisfy conservative Republicans.
This has to be the first in our lifetime where some do not accept a bill protecting a parent’s right to educate their child on such complex and confusing subjects.
“Sex Ed” was always an optional curriculum, (one where parents had the right to opt their child out of if they wanted to educate them on the matter). Moreover, the sexual educational teachings resulted in the natural reproductive structure that populates our world.
When did the school curriculum ever instruct its educators to be the point person for these children to learn about sexual orientation and gender identity?
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