The Florida state legislature has given final approval to massive education reform bills aimed at how teachers and students can use their pronouns in schools in an effort to overturn the state law dubbed “Don’t Say Gay.” strengthen.
Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign legislation, which will also ban diversity programs in colleges.
The Republican governor has been pushing a conservative culture agenda in his state ahead of an anticipated announcement that he will run for president. DeSantis has declared war on “woke,” attacking Disney and pushing for a ban on sexual identity and certain books in schools.
It’s also raised his national profile as he takes on LGBTQ rights and one of America’s most iconic businesses.
Florida legislature passed large-scale education reform bills – above students in Miami-Dade protest Ron DeSantis education policies
The latest legislation prevents school staff or students from being required to refer to people with pronouns that don’t match the person’s gender.
It’s an extension of his so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law — a state law that bans class discussions of sexual orientation and sex identity.
The new legislation also bans classroom teaching on gender identity and sexual orientation until 8th grade, legally expanding it beyond DeSantis’ original proposal.
Republicans believe that lessons on sexual identity and gender orientation should be taught at home and not at school.
“You see society coming at our kids in a culture war that has an agenda to confuse them,” said Republican Senator Erin Grall. “We deprive children of the opportunity to find out who they are when we force an agenda, a sexualized agenda, on children.”
Governor Ron DeSantis has been pushing a conservative culture agenda in his state in anticipation of an anticipated announcement that he will run for president
Democrats say it’s an attack on LGBTQ rights.
“Let’s at least be honest about what this bill is about,” Democratic state senator Tina Polsky said in the audience Tuesday. “It’s about shutting down any discussion of anything other than heterosexuality.”
And the bill strengthens the system in which people can object to textbooks. It requires schools to pull challenged books within five days of someone marking it. Opponents have argued that this is “book ban.”
DeSantis and his supporters spearheaded an initiative that resulted in the removal of material he and his supporters believe are inappropriate for children.
Among the books removed in one school district are “Beloved” by Toni Morrison and “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood.
Florida ranks second, after Texas, as the state with the highest number of book removals, according to a report this month from PEN America.
DeSantis has pushed back the idea that he bans books.
“This idea of a book ban in Florida, that they somehow don’t want books in the library — that’s cheating,” he said at a press conference in March. “And that’s a really nasty hoax, because it’s a hoax to try to pollute and sexualize our kids.”
Students from the Miami-Dade County Public Schools participate in a statewide protest
Students call DeSantis’ action an attack on education
However, on Tuesday, Florida placed first for education as part of U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best States ranking. It displaced former No. 1 New Jersey and No. 2 Massachusetts after finishing in third place the previous year.
The ranking is based on the state’s low tuition fees and debt, as well as high graduation rates.
Last week, high school and college students across Florida walked out of their classrooms to protest DeSantis’ policies.
And Wednesday night, more than a dozen activists were arrested outside DeSantis’ Capitol Hill office. They protested against the new education laws.
The 14 people arrested were charged with misdemeanor and were incarcerated at the Leon County Jail, Florida Department of Law Enforcement spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger told the Tallahassee Democrat.
“Once the building closes, you can’t be here unless you have an office in the Capitol,” Plessinger said, citing Department of Management Services policy.
Many of the protesters were heard shouting “Where’s Ron!” about DeSantis’ trip to London last week as the legislature approves key items on his agenda.
The protesters said they refused to leave until they met with the governor. The protest was organized by a human rights organization called Dream Defenders.
Dozens of activists stage a sit-in outside the office of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, forcing people to step over them to reach DeSantis’ office as they speak out against the governor and his policies
Yareliz Mendez Zamora leads a chant for dozens of activists during a sit-in outside DeSantis’ office
Dozens of activists stage a sit-in outside the office of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, forcing people to step over them to reach DeSantis’ office
“Florida is on fire and he gallops across the country and around the world as lawmakers under his watch pass some really harmful legislation,” said Nailah Summers-Polite, co-executive director of Dream Defenders.
“DeSantis likes to meet his donors, the people who voted with him, his little pals, but he doesn’t seem to want to face the people who don’t really like him,” she added. “If he won’t face us, he shouldn’t be governor.”
The arrests were made by the Florida Capitol Police and the Florida Highway Patrol, Plessinger said.