The Florida House on Friday passed a measure that supporters say is designed to keep “identity politics” out of teacher preparation programs that lead to educators getting professional certificates — as Democratic members likened the bill to academic censorship.
Members of the Republican-dominated House voted 81-31 to pass the controversial measure (HB 1291), as a Senate version of the bill (SB 1372) is ready for consideration by the full chamber.
Under the proposal, teacher-prep programs at colleges and universities could not include instruction that would teach “identity politics” or be “based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities.”
A House analysis of the bill said that there are 57 “initial” teacher preparation programs in Florida at 10 state universities, 19 state colleges and 28 private colleges and universities.
House Democrats gave impassioned arguments against the bill, with multiple members saying that the measure threatens to jeopardize educators’ ability to teach the realities of history.
“This bill expands academic censorship of concepts that may make some uncomfortable. It’s time to do away with fragility. It’s time to stop rewriting history to make one feel better about it. And most importantly, it’s time to get comfortable with being uncomfortable,” said Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis, D-Ocoee.
The measure also would require that such programs could “not distort significant historical events” when training teachers. The restrictions in the bill that would apply to teacher preparation programs also would apply to programs designed to enable prospective school leaders to earn certificates.
The bill came after the Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022 approved a measure that restricted the way that certain race-related concepts can be taught in schools.
Rep. Johanna Lopez, an Orlando Democrat who is a former school board member and teacher, said the measure approved by the House Friday would compound existing difficulties for teachers.
“I oppose this bill because it is going to exacerbate the fears our teachers and instructional leaders have on how to teach real history,” Lopez said.
Supporters of the measure, meanwhile, have argued that the proposal would prevent teacher preparation programs from indoctrinating educators. House bill sponsor Berny Jacques, a Republican from Seminole, said Friday that there are “still loopholes” to enforcing existing restrictions on instruction.
“You can’t really enforce it … when you have the educators themselves who are being indoctrinated along the way. They are being indoctrinated when they are coming up as teachers and now they are being indoctrinated in their continuing education courses, in their training courses. So it still seeps through. And this is what this bill is about,” Jacques said.
Rep. Alex Rizo, R-Hialeah, contended that the text of the bill has been misunderstood by critics.
“I heard the term erasing history, and I at no point read erasing history in the content of the bill,” Rizo said during debate on the House floor Friday.
–Ryan Dailey, News Service of Florida
Deborah Coffey says
The Fascists and Racists have a noose around the neck of education in Florida. Mississippi will be happy, though; very soon it will stop ranking 50th in education.
John Yankovich says
As a retired US History teacher, there shud be no identity politics in secondary education, or middle school or elementary school!!! You are there to educate not indoctrinate and teach students how to think! When you get to tertiary level you can deal with it as by that time you’re suppose to be able to THINK!
Michael J Cocchiola says
Floriduh, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Iowa, et al – the reddest of red states – will continue to pollute their schools with extremist propaganda to whitewash their deplorable histories and deplorable futures. They rail against “indoctrination” and flaunt their hypocrisy as they relentlessly indoctrinate their citizenry, young and old.
Hey, hypocrisy works for them so they’ll just keep going with it.
Endless dark money says
Wow florida sure knows how to attract and elect con men. Hope you like facism
Tony Mack says
A new bill introduced in the Missouri legislature makes it even less likely that people will see the state as a desirable destination. It would put teachers on the sex offense registry if they “contribute to social transition” of a trans youth- including pronouns, haircuts, information, and more. It would make the actions of the teacher “contributing to social transition” a class E felony.
House Bill 2885 was introduced by Republican State Representative Jamie Ray Gragg (District 140 Christian County), a first term lawmaker who has previously publicly expressed strong anti-LGBTQ+ viewpoints as well as being anti-abortion rights. He sits on four House committees: Children and Families, Elementary and Secondary Education, Healthcare Reform, and Subcommittee on Appropriations- Education.
In Germany in the Thirties, one of the first groups collected up and restricted from their profession was — teachers! Academics, Scientists will be next. Then they will come for those of us they deem to be “not right thinking”. Eliminate social justice thinking??? Students aren’t going to learn about social justice??? But think about this — many of our neighbors, your neighbors, believe this type of government control over schools at every level is just fine!
Many of our neighbors believe teachers and academics are leftists Communists, fascists, Chinese Marxists and should be vilified and demonized to no end. Many of our neighbors, who, by the way, received their education in the public school system, now encourage the demise of that very system because they have been told that only parents and charter schools know the best way to educate children.
Many of our neighbors will not be pleased until teachers can be declared felons for not teaching as they are directed by politicians.
If they can start here — where will they end? Again, think Germany in the Thirties.
The dude says
My daughter is thriving in middle school here in the ATL burbs. In Palm Coast she was trying to survive, such as it is in Flagler schools.
My heart breaks for all her friends and classmates we left behind.
Floriduh schools, and the state of education in general, will get much worse before it can get better.
Floriduh is not a place to raise a family. Best to leave it to the old tribals and just come down for vacations every now and then.
Laurel says
John: Oh, I so agree! We should not indoctrinate children with Christianity in schools. We should also not use our tax dollars to assist the indoctrination of religion in private schools and home schooling. Our tax dollars belong in public schools.
Laurel says
Tony: Many of our neighbors just want a daddy. Sad, but true, even at the risk of freedom.