Republicans Slam Miami Herald for Saying DeSantis ‘Injects Politics into School Boards, Parents are Getting More Influence’

MIAMI (FLV) – Republicans slammed the Miami Herald for a recent headline critics said implied a negative connotation with parents having more influence in schools.

As DeSantis injects politics into school boards, parents are getting more influence

Miami Herald

The reporter said there is a “growing dissonance” between students, parents, and school board members regarding the role of school board members.

“Are they stewards of the students or are they there to placate the parents, who in the last year have increasingly been flexing their muscles in Florida, thanks to new laws that embolden them?” the article said.

In response to the headline, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Press Secretary Bryan Griffin said the governor is helping parents influence the classrooms as “woke ideology” pervades them.

“Clearly, woke ideology has pervaded many classrooms, just as it has the Miami Herald newsroom. The governor is empowering parents with avenues to push back,” Griffin said.

“He has championed legislation to keep Florida schools free from political indoctrination and has instructed the Florida Department of Education to keep schools focused on equipping Florida’s students to excel in core subjects like reading, writing, math, and civics,” Griffin said.

DeSantis signed legislation including the Parental Rights in Education law, which prohibits teachers in grades K-3 from instructing students on sexual orientation or gender identity. Democrats dubbed it the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. He also signed a law that requires school districts to be transparent in the selection of classroom materials, including library and reading materials.

The governor even made the unprecedented move to endorse 30 school board candidates, prompting Democrats to follow suit. Two dozen of DeSantis’ endorsed candidates won their local school board races.

“We will continue to recognize that, in the state of Florida, parents have a fundamental role in the education, healthcare, and well-being of their children,” DeSantis has said. “We will not move from that. I don’t care what corporate media outlets say…. Here I stand. I’m not backing down.”

Republican Party of Florida Chair of Chairs Evan Power told Florida’s Voice that the headline portrays parental involvement as a negative.

“The closing of schools and virtual education introduced parents to the woke agenda that was trying to be pushed through our education system. Governor Desantis helped give these parents a voice!” Power said.

“The media has sided with teachers unions which have become mere front groups to liberal interests. They continue to not understand how parents want to be involved in their kids education not follow the whims of the union bosses.”

The article’s framing also received backlash on social media including the DeSantis campaign’s Rapid Response Director Christina Pushaw.

“This framing is part of why he won by nearly 20,” another person said on Twitter.