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Educator responds to proposed 'Parental Rights' expansion in Florida schools

The rule currently applies now for grades K-3, but this new proposal would expand it to include grades 4-12.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — There is a proposal to expand the "Parental Rights" law, which critics call  "Don’t Say Gay," in schools.

The rule currently applies to grades K-3, but the new proposal by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration would expand it to include grades K-12.  

The proposal says that educators "Shall not intentionally provide classroom instruction to students in grades 4 through 12 on sexual orientation or gender identity unless such instruction is either expressly required by state academic standards as adopted in Rule 6A-1.09401, F.A.C., or is part of a reproductive health course or health lesson for which a student’s parent has the option to have his or her student not attend."

Florida kindergarten teacher Cory Bernaert said this expansion would further target LGBTQIA+ teachers.

“The attacks have always been there, but now the attacks are getting greater,” he said.

Bernaert says simple things like putting up pictures of your family could put you at risk of violating this rule, something he doesn’t believe would be enforced equally when it comes to teachers who don't identify with LGBTQIA+.

“Why am I being forced to have fear when my heterosexual colleagues don’t have to have that fear?” he asked.

The Florida Commissioner of Education, Manny Diaz said in a tweet, “Students should be spending their time in school learning core academic subjects, not being force-fed radical gender and sexual ideology. In Florida, we’re preserving the right of kids to be kids.”

Bernaert says, our legislators need to focus on problems plaguing the public school system.

“It really still boggles my mind that with the national teacher shortage, the state teacher shortage…that these are the issues we’re focusing on,” Bernaert added. 

We reached out to the State Board of Education and they sent us a statement saying they are expected to take action on the proposed change at their April meeting.

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