Florida's fight over ‘Don't Say Gay’ is getting more heated. And it hasn't even gone into effect yet.
politico.comAndrew Atterbury 05/17/2022 04:31 AM EDT Link CopiedTALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The ugly fight over Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” bill has shifted from the statehouse to local school districts.In the weeks since Florida GOP Gov.
Ron DeSantis signed the measure, dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by its critics, into law, schools across the state have started to feel the legislation’s effects even before it officially takes hold.Students have complained about being censored for supporting the LGBTQ community.
One educator claimed they have been called a “groomer” and “pedophile.” At least one first-year educator was fired for bringing LGBTQ discussions into the classroom.
And all the while, school officials remain in a holding pattern as the Florida Department of Education comes up with guidance for how to carry out the controversial measure.The newly minted law, which has caused an uproar across the nation and has led to a high-profile fight between DeSantis and The Walt Disney Co., is set to go into effect July 1 and is being challenged in federal court.“What it does create is a lot of divisiveness, and it also creates a lack of clarity completely with this bill,” Nadia Combs, who chairs Hillsborough County’s school board, said at a recent school board meeting. “I don’t know if that’s the goal of the bill, but it’s very important we do have some clarity for parents and for the schools.”The legislation prohibits teachers from leading classroom instruction on gender identity or sexual orientation for students in kindergarten through third grade and bans such lessons for older students unless they are “age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate.”It also requires schools to notify parents if schools help a child transition to a.
