Florida Education Policy

One of the new policies is that of HB 999. To focus on post-secondary education that better advances Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' attack on educational wokeism, the act seeks to ban any source of funding into colleges that "promote, support, or maintain any programs or campus activities that espouse diversity, equity, or inclusion [DEI] or Critical Race Theory rhetoric." Policies dictated in the bill include:

• Control over potential student majors. 
• The ban on race or gender studies. 
• The ban on financial spending on inclusion activities.
• Granting control to DeSantis’ appointees in hiring decisions.

The bill then provides immense oversight to Florida's board of governors in removing "any major or minor that is based on or otherwise utilizes pedagogical methodology associated with Critical Theory." Examples of courses that would be banned as listed under the bill would be "Florida Atlantic University's ‘Gender and Climate Change’ and Florida State University's ‘Social (In)Equalities: Social Construction of Difference and Inequalities.’" Many constituents and members of academia have raised further concerns that vague language can be used with other courses or programs. Though minor changes were made, the bill was taken into effect in July. 

Another one of the policies implemented in Florida was the “Do Not Say Gay” bill. Florida passed a bill called the Parental Rights in Education Bill (HB 1557), which banned the discussion of gender identity and sexual identity in early school grades. Specifically, it mentions that “a school district may not encourage 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.” The bill indicates that there are some exceptions where gender and sexuality can be discussed, which is when they find it to be age-appropriate. The bill also includes stipulations about a student’s mental health. The bill states that a parent needs to be notified if the student receives help or resources for their mental/physical health. 

Effects of the Policies

As massive changes in Florida’s education system have been seen, it is integral to also look at how these changes are potentially influencing other states in their education systems. As a result of these policies, some states agree with the decisions that are being made in Florida, but other states believe that these changes are optional for them to implement. Through this understanding, it is integral to see which standards other states are using to address these policies, as the Department of Education is starting to execute these policies and work toward implementation. Additionally, due to the national struggle that has been seen between huge entities such as the College Board, it is integral to see the specific way that they will also change the current state of education around the US.

The first fundamental change that can be seen as a result of the laws enacted in Florida is the reactions of other important policymakers. One of the things that was changed is the “Do not Say Gay'' law, which prevents students and teachers from discussing topics that pertain to LGBTQ+ groups, leading to a clear divergence between the policymakers who believe that this is a necessary measure and people who believe that this is not necessary. For example, numerous other states have also attempted to pass this bill. A clear example of this is New Jersey, where there is a bill progressing through the courthouse, indicating that there is a high chance that this bill will be implemented elsewhere. However, some states are not going to implement this. In states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, the bill has died instead of getting passed through Congress, indicating that some states will prevent the passing of a bill, unlike Florida.

The other critical movement is the banning of the African American Studies AP course in Florida, where the course discusses race and has been banned. As a result of the ban, this has had a significant effect on the rest of the US because of a clear indication that there might be a problem with the course for the College Board. This nonprofit organization operates most college-level courses taught in high schools throughout the US. Additionally, through the fact that this was the first pilot run of the course, the strikedown is a massive change because it means that the College Board is required to change the entirety of this course if they would like to get this published throughout the US and ensure that all students are given the same right. 

Overall, the changes in Florida can be implemented throughout the entirety of the US and could change a lot of the education systems throughout the US. Although it has some basis, some states will still disagree with the policy changes implemented in Florida, while others may not. Additionally, one of the fundamental changes due to these bills is that they indicate a problem with the frameworks that some organizations, such as the College Board, are working with.

Acknowledgment

The Institute for Youth in Policy wishes to acknowledge Michelle Liou, Nolan Ezzet, and other contributors for developing and maintaining the Policy Department within the Institute.