Act, is up for a vote on the House floor on Tuesday.White House press secretary Jen Psaki also has repeatedly denounced the legislation, which has been echoed in at least a dozen other Republican proposals across the US in 2022. House Bill 7, the law banning critical race theory in schools, also known as the Stop W.O.K.E. It now goes to a vote on the House floor, where it is expected to pass.Įarlier on Thursday, the Broward County School District sent a letter opposing the bill to legislators, writing that it would harm students. The so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill passed through its last House committee on Thursday afternoon. “There’s a difference between teaching something like critical race theory and making kids espouse it and affirm it as fact.” Where do these proposals stand? “The big picture is that this is part of a culture war battle between what conservatives view as a progressive, woke agenda to indoctrinate their students,” he said. The big problem is of state-level control of the school curriculum dictated by lawmakers in Tallahassee rather than allowing for local-level decisions by trained educators who likely have a better sense of who their students are and what their needs may be, he said. Ron DeSantis uses “woke” as an acronym for “Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees.” That mindset could apply to discussions of race in the classroom, or assignments and readings about the country’s history of racism, which the state is also seeking to prohibit with the Stop W.O.K.E. “How far do you go down the slippery slope of allowing parents to keep opting out of the curriculum?” “I think the danger is eventually parents might want to say, ‘You can’t compel my child to do this assignment because that conflicts with my political beliefs,’” he said.
But if a teacher were to shut down the discussion, even if they’re not sure they’re allowed to discuss it in class, that could be a violation of the student’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech, Calvert said. “Out of fear of a lawsuit, or demotion or termination, the teacher will probably try to steer the class away from any discussion that might touch upon sexual orientation or gender identity.” What if students want to discuss their identity, racial or otherwise, with their class? “There’s no doubt in my mind that this law will chill discussions in the classroom,” Corbin said. Adding the additional worry about parents bringing suit could only exacerbate that chilling effect for educators over what they could teach, she said. The mere existence of the prohibition is enough to chill speech, she said. It is the state’s attempt to censor ideas it disapproves of or viewpoints it does not like, she said. If that were to strike you as vague, you wouldn’t be alone: The bill does not define what it means for a school district to “encourage” conversations or which grades are included in “primary grade levels,” and does not offer any context on what “age appropriate” might mean.Ĭorbin argued that’s by design.
It specifically prohibits school districts from encouraging classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels, “or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.” In Florida, the state sets public school curriculum. Sponsors say the purpose of the bill is to put parents in control of their child’s education in school. The official name of House Bill 1557 and the Senate companion bill 1834 is Parental Rights in Education.
Dont say gay bill name free#
“This targeting of truthful but unpopular views and ideas is exactly what the free speech clause is meant to protect,” she said. “To completely eliminate an entire topic of discussion, even if it is age appropriate, really signals hostility to an idea.”Īnd if laws are motivated by animus toward a certain group of people, that would violate the equal protection clause, she said. “It may become a free speech problem if the state is targeting an idea or viewpoint not for legitimate pedagogical reasons, but because of hostility to an idea or group,” she said.