WILDWOOD, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis aims to ban teachings of critical race theory in Florida classrooms and workplaces as part of proposed legislation called the "Stop W.O.K.E. Act."
A section of the measure, formally named the "Stop Wrongs Against Our Kids and Employees," allows parents of schoolchildren a "private right of action" in suing should they believe their kids are being taught critical race theory, DeSantis said during a news conference in Wildwood, Florida.
They could collect attorney's fees if they are successful.
"We won’t allow Florida tax dollars to be spent teaching kids to hate our country or to hate each other," the governor said in a statement. "We also have a responsibility to ensure that parents have the means to vindicate their rights when it comes to enforcing state standards."
DeSantis railed against what he called a rise of "woke ideology" in instances across the U.S. In Florida, the Department of Education last summer banned critical race theory from public schools despite there not being a widespread practice of its teaching to K-12 students anywhere in the country, according to The Associated Press.
The theory of thinking about America's history through the lens of racism has become a flashpoint in politics in recent years. The AP says scholars developed it during the 1970s and 1980s, centering "on the idea that racism is systemic in the nation’s institutions and that they function to maintain the dominance of white people in society."
Critical race theory opponents say children should not be taught that America is a racist country, while others argue there needs to be teachings on how racism and sexism have shaped the country's past and could affect its future, according to Education Week. The outlet reports there have been at least 13 states that have established bans of critical race theory through legislative or other means driven by Republican members.
Florida Sen. Shevrin Jones, a Democrat and vice-chair on the state's education committee, in a statement said "DeSantis and his administration know full well that CRT is not taught in K-12 schools or workplaces."
"It's unfortunate that instead of running on forward-looking ideas to improve people’s daily lives, Republicans would rather manufacture a crisis out of a non-issue, all in the hopes of fanning the flames of a culture war for political gain," Jones' statement said, in part. "When it comes to the education of our children, parents’ voices ought to be heard, taken seriously, and engaged in their kids’ learning about the world as it actually exists.
"There will be questions about race, a social construct, both in our history and in our present. We do children a disservice by hiding, lying, or covering up the truth — especially as we are tasked with setting them up for long-term success and the tools needed to envision the better future and society that they are going to create."
DeSantis alleged that critical race theory, or CRT, and training at corporations have also become cottage industries, with big money to be made.
The bill aims to defund any educational institution using money for critical race theory consultants, DeSantis said. Employees, staff and teachers who undergo such training will be protected, he added.
"They basically will get tens of thousands of dollars to go in and do a training, sometimes in schools, sometimes in businesses, basically saying, 'Okay, pay me $50,000 so I can teach your employees how racist capitalism is or something like that,' DeSantis said.
In business, the governor said the bill helps to protect employees who he says are told that "they're privileged or that they're part of oppressive systems."
"We believe that this corporate CRT is basically corporate sanctioned racism, and they're trying to shove it down these employees' throats," DeSantis said. "We believe that that violates the Florida civil rights laws, but if to the extent it doesn't, we're going to make sure that the law does include this into these laws so that employees have an ability to protect themselves against this kind of, really what is harassment."
Florida Education Associaton President Andrew Spar released the statement in response to the governor's announcement:
"Teachers are trained and experienced in educating children and have a duty to prepare their students to be successful contributors to society. Teachers should have the freedom to teach honest, complete facts about historical events like slavery and civil rights without being censored by politicians. The governor’s announcement today goes against this fundamental American value. All Florida’s children should receive a fact-based education that doesn’t change depending on their ZIP code."
The next Florida legislative session to consider the "Stop W.O.K.E. Act" and other bills begins in January 2022.