Manny Diaz: Florida educators are expected to teach standards, not interject opinions
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – Florida Department of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. applauded Gov. Ron DeSantis and lawmakers for approving legislation to restrict preferred pronoun requirements in schools and provide more guidelines for book challenges.
DeSantis gave the legislation a final stamp of approval Wednesday.
“Thank you to Governor Ron DeSantis for continuing to implement legislation to keep our students safe and our schools focused on education, not indoctrination,” Diaz said.
The legislation expands the Parental Rights in Education law to grades PreK-8, which prohibits teachings on gender identity and sexual orientation. Critics dubbed the legislation “Don’t Say Gay.”
The Florida Board of Education recently expanded that prohibition to 12th grade with exceptions.
The newly-signed bill stops teachers and students from being required to use pronouns that are different than their biological sex.
“Today’s actions make it clear – educators in Florida are expected to teach our standards, and not interject their own opinions or worldview into the classroom,” Diaz said.
“The Department will remain focused on teaching students core subjects, rather than woke gender ideology or inappropriate topics.”
It will prohibit a school from requiring that an employee or student, as a condition of employment or enrollment or participation in any program, refer to another person by a pronoun that does not correspond to that person’s sex.
“We’re not doing the pronoun olympics in Florida. It’s not happening here,” DeSantis said during the bill signing Wednesday.
The law requires that district school boards be responsible for the contents of classroom material.
If there are books challenged on the basis that it is pornographic, harmful to minors, or describe or depict sexual content, it must be removed from the shelves within five days of the objection.
The material would remain removed until a determination was made on whether the book was appropriate.
The organization, Equality Florida, called this bill, along with others that were signed into law, the “largest slate of anti-LGBTQ bills in one legislative session in the state’s history.”
“This is an all out attack on freedom. Free states don’t strip parents of the right to make healthcare decisions for their children. Free states don’t ban books, censor curriculum, or muzzle free speech,” Senior Political Director of Equality Florida Joe Saunders said.
“DeSantis doesn’t see freedom as a value worth defending, he sees it as a campaign slogan in his bid for the White House. And he is setting freedom — and Florida’s reputation — ablaze in his desperation to win the GOP nomination.”
