Two new women members of Florida’s State Board of Education made their debuts Wednesday, revealing a conservative to far right bent that could foreshadow their priorities for the state’s public school system and its 2.8-million students. Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Esther Byrd and Grazie Pozo Christie in mid-March, just before the 2022 legislative session was ending.
Ron DeSantis
DeSantis Wanted His Own Re-Districting Plan, so He Vetoes Legislature’s and Orders Special Session
DeSantis threatened the veto even before the Legislature ignored his demand that lawmakers follow his own plan for drawing new districts — a plan that diminishes Black voting power and would give the GOP 18 of the 28 seats to which Florida is entitled following the 2020 U.S. Census.
DeSantis Signs ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill as Federal Officials Monitor Florida for ‘Civil Rights Violations’
The legislation disallows mention of sexual orientation and gender identity. It has drawn national condemnation, and the U.S. Department of Education warned that it will be watching for potential infringement of civil rights.
Yes, Current Rules Give Transgender Women Athletes an Unfair Advantage. But Bans Aren’t the Answer.
There is something unfair about Lia Thomas, the University of Pennsylvania star swimmer and transgender woman, winning races and breaking records, and there is something rational in calls by some of her competitors–and by some transgender athletes themselves–for a rule change that addresses both fairness and inclusion.
DeSantis Signs Bill Intensifying Scrutiny of School Library Books and Imposing 12-Year Limit on School Board Terms
Calling it a move toward “curriculum transparency,” Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a bill that will intensify scrutiny of school library books and instructional materials and impose 12-year term limits on school board members.
Sunshine Sunday: Keeping Open Government From Eclipse in Florida
Today, there are 1,138 exemptions to Florida’s open government laws, almost 200 more than 20 years ago, and growing. The public cannot simply rely on the good-natured commitment of those in government to safeguard transparency. Sunshine Week is the collective national effort to keep government doors to the public open, and its roots began in Florida.
Lawmakers Approve Record $112 Billion Budget as DeSantics Calls Session ‘Year of the Parent’
Lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis met in the afternoon at the 4th floor of the state Capitol building to close out the Legislature’s work, with the annual “sine die” tradition of the handkerchief drop to adjourn the two-month session.
DeSantis and Florida Republicans Discover Their Inner Soviet
It’s been a grim few weeks. Democracy, human rights and free speech are under assault as they’ve not been in generations. Misinformation and fabrications are carpet-bombing reality. Thought policing is muzzling expression and rewriting history as a worship-jerk. Individual freedom is in retreat. Authoritarianism–bullying, vengeful, exultant–is triumphant.
School Book Inquisitions and School Board Term Limits Head for Governor’s Signature
School board members soon could be limited to serving 12-year terms under a bill that is headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis — but the measure also includes a controversial provision that would intensify scrutiny of school library books and instructional materials.
‘Trust Me, I’m a Politician’: Dr. Ladapo’s Irresponsible Recommendation Against Vaccinating Young Floridians
Dr. Stephen Playe, a retired ER physician living in the Hammock, questions the motives behind Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo’s announcement that he would recommend against administering the Covid vaccine to young, healthy children .