Posted on 05/06/2024 6:20:25 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill into law on May 2 banning “indoctrination” programs for teachers.
The measure, HB 1291, prohibits programs, courses, and curricula in teacher training from “distorting” historical events or promoting political ideologies regarding race, sex, and gender.
Accredited postsecondary institutions can seek Florida Department of Education approval to create institutes to educate teachers on improving classroom instruction and meeting requirements for certification or recertification.
They can also seek approval for instruction on educating existing and potential substitute teachers on how to perform classroom duties and to teach those with baccalaureate degrees how to become certified.
However, teacher preparation, training, and certification programs will not be allowed to teach “identity politics” or to make claims that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, or white privilege are inherent in America’s culture.
In addition, Gov. DeSantis’s office said in a statement that he is working with Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office to safeguard Florida’s workforce from being subjected to ideological discrimination and harassment.
The governor said he does not believe that companies have the right to force their employees to attend training courses designed to convince them that they are “inherently racist or sexist” or to diminish their sense of self-worth because of their religious or social upbringing.
At a press briefing and signing ceremony at the VyStar Tower in Jacksonville, Mr. DeSantis said he did not want teacher-preparation programs “to become captive to someone’s ideological agenda.”
“This bill prohibits the indoctrination in teacher preparation,” he summarized.
“So, there’s not going to be DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion]. There’s not going to be any of the bogus history. It’s just going to be standard, teacher preparation without having an ideological agenda.”
The law becomes effective on July 1.
In an interview with The Epoch Times, Jonathan Butcher, the Will Skillman Senior Research Fellow in Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, said there is ambiguity in the legislation that should be addressed.
It isn’t readily clear in the bill’s introduction which kind of teachers are subject to the mandates. He said it isn’t until the list at the bottom of page two of the bill that you learn it applies to substitute teachers, teachers’ assistants, baccalaureate holders who want to become certified teachers, and college graduates who didn’t major in education.
It applies to part-time and full-time, non-degreed teachers for “career programs” associated with higher education programs, such as technical colleges.
Given the context of this bill, he said, it will be important to make sure definitions are clear and that enforcement is kept “within the bounds of appropriate civil rights law.”
“You have to be precise in your language,” he said. “I think the intent of the bill is laudable. Evidence is clear that teacher training programs regularly use materials that is Marxist in nature.”
“When you look at the terms used in these provisions,” he explained, “it will be incumbent on the State Board of Education to say very precisely what they mean by ‘identity politics’ and what they mean by the word ’distort,‘ because the language says they ’may not distort significant historical events.’
“You should define that whole thing. What does ‘distort’ mean? What does ’significant' mean?”
Other parts of the legislation, he said, are sound, such as the requirement that training courses for teachers cannot teach students that the United States is built upon racism and is a racist nation.
He noted that Paulo Freire’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” has been one of the most assigned books in teacher training programs for 50 years.
“Pablo Freire’s stuff is Marxist. Critical race theory is racially discriminatory,” he said.
Federal grant programs also encouraged teaching critical race theory until public backlash caused them to strip the words from the grant descriptions. But they simply changed the name to social emotional learning.
The U.S. Department of Education announced in 2023 that President Joe Biden’s administration was awarding $14 million in federal grant money to foster more inclusive diversity programs to address racial inequity.
Grants offered by nonprofit organizations like FIRST also push DEI policies in education.
“There is no disputing the idea that teacher training programs use radical ideas that are being passed on to prospective teachers,” Mr. Butcher said.
Mr. Butcher adds that he expects the law to be challenged by leftist groups whose goal, he said, is to establish protected classes, not equality under the law.
best governor in the entire country in a very long time ...
“ best governor in the entire country in a very long time…”
Agreed. It’s too bad he wasted months of time and hundreds of millions of dollars on a boneheaded primary run this year.
Think of what he could have done with all that.
L
DeSantis is definitely setting the mark for the other states. Hat’s off to him and the Florida legislature.
Sorry about that. I don’t know why it happened.
......all this indoctrination of teachers is lead by the teachers union. The most effective response is get government and unions OUT of anything to do with schooling the future generations. We are doomed if we don’t.
We are about halfway there already with vouchers and private schools.
Another must is all classrooms must be accessible by parents via on line TV.
Thank you, Gov. DeSantis!
You got excited. We understand.
“The governor said he does not believe that companies have the right to force their employees to attend training courses designed to convince them that they are “inherently racist or sexist” or to diminish their sense of self-worth because of their religious or social upbringing.”
He believes and doesn’t believe some really bizarre things.
I do think he does a great job as governor.
I hate primary season. Too many good people fighting each other instead of fighting alongside each other.
I’m glad DeSantis is back doing what he does best. And I wish the rest of the states would learn from him too.
What’s bizarre about this particuar belief? Do you believe employers should have the authority to make workers attend self-hating indoctrination seminars?
What I don't understand is why other governors aren't.
Who defines indoctrination? And how quickly will it be distorted to I mean kids can’t learn or be held to standards of decency at schools?
Anything can be considered indoctrination.
Desantis the useful tool of those he sold his soul to, is just trying to keep having moments of news time but really accomplishing very little in the grand scheme of things. He is biding his time til he can tip toe around the country trying to decide if he should run for higher office again.
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