Florida's Parental Rights in Education
What it says and doesn't say about classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity with children in third grade or younger.
Based on news reports and social media discussions, there appears to be confusion about what the Parental Rights in Education bill says and doesn’t say.
Florida’s HB 1557 bill has been called the "Don’t Say Gay" bill by Democrats who falsely claim it bans any discussion pertaining to being gay in the state's schools. The left-leaning media is peddling the same false narratives. President Biden called it a "hateful bill" and Disney says that the bill should have never passed and that they are going to actively work to repeal it.
“The content that Disney creates today will indoctrinate young consumers tomorrow. It will shape their hearts and minds, insidiously molding children to embrace liberal politics with subtle and not-so-subtle messaging. Wokeness will be passed on to future generations. And it may become more radical over time.”—Harrison Rogers RealClear Politics April 2, 2022
Disney CEO Bob Chapek, was caught between two cultural camps.
On the one hand, there was the consternation of the woke ideologues who think it’s important to be able to discuss homosexuality and transgenderism along with the basics of addition and subtraction.
On the other hand, sensible people think the agenda of the woke crowd is radical and necessarily fated to compound the raging moral crises of our nation. They believe it’s high time we walk this whole “sexuality education” thing back a notch or two and let parents decide what is taught to their children.
Chapek opted to go full woke. He sided with the people who claim they’re not trying to sexualize your children and yet are obsessed with everything having to do with sexualizing children.
The executive offered an apology to those of his employees who were angry that he didn’t condemn the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill enough, while already horrified and frustrated parents who grew up on Disney classics themselves were treated to the news that the company’s president of general entertainment content, Karey Burke, vowed to crank up the number of LGBT characters in its future productions.
Vivian Ware, Disney’s diversity and inclusion manager, is promoting transgenderism and pansexuality in Disney content. The entertainment company is now removing all mentions of traditional gender roles – boys and girls, men and women – at theme parks.
American parents are frustrated with the radical woke agenda and the left’s insistence that it must be infused into every aspect of children’s lives.
What the bill does say:
It does require school districts to adopt procedures that "reinforce the fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding the upbringing and control of their children in a specified manner."
It does prohibit classroom instruction, not casual discussion, on "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" with children in third grade or younger, "or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards."
It does require school districts to notify a student’s parent if there is a change "in the student's services or monitoring related to the student's mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being and the school's ability to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for the student."
It does prohibit schools from "encouraging a student to withhold" such information from a parent.
It does require school districts to notify parents of each health care service offered at their student's school and the option to withhold consent or decline any specific service.
It does require that parents be allowed to access their child’s educational or health records kept by the school.
It does require the school to get parental permission before administering a well-being questionnaire or health screening to students in kindergarten through third grade.
It does require schools to respond to a parent's concerns within seven days of being notified of those concerns, and the school must resolve those concerns within 30 days. If the issue is not resolved, parents can then sue the school district or request the state Commissioner of Education to appoint a special magistrate to mediate a solution, which the school district must pay for.
What the bill does not say:
It does not ban the word "gay" in school settings.
It does not ban casual discussions of topics relating to sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom.
It does not require schools to notify parents if their child comes out as gay or transgender.
It does not require schools to notify parents of information regarding the student's mental, emotional, or physical well-being "if a reasonably prudent person would believe that disclosure would result in abuse, abandonment, or neglect."