TAMPA, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke at the conservative group Moms for Liberty's national summit, where he reiterated his fight for what he called parental rights in schools.
Attendants applauded the governor for his efforts to stop COVID-19 restrictions in schools, along with recently-enacted bills like "The Stop Woke Act" and the "Parental Rights in Education" law, which critics have called "Don't Say Gay."
"Our school system is for educating kids, not indoctrinating kids," DeSantis said.
HB 7 – known as the "individual freedom" or "stop woke" law – says it is discrimination to force anyone to take any teaching or training that makes them "feel guilt" based on their "race, color, sex or national origin."
Meanwhile, the "parental rights" law bars educators from teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity to students in kindergarten through third grade. School districts may opt to ban topics of sexual orientation or gender identity beyond third grade if leaders deem them not to be age or developmentally appropriate.
Democrats, who spoke across the street from the summit at Tampa Marriott Water Street and opposing groups, contend the laws are harming students instead, especially those of the LGBTQ+ community.
"Democrats are not here for divisive culture wars — we're here to ensure a high-quality education for our students," Scott Hottenstein, President of the Democratic Public Education Caucus.
They argued the governor is playing politics with students with culture war issues distracting from other issues being faced in public education, including underfunding of public education and understaffing in schools.
More than 9,000 education positions remain to be filled in Florida, according to the Florida Education Association.
A group of Pinellas County teachers also protested against the organization and the passage of the "Parental Rights" law. Educators said they worry about the message the bill sends to LGBTQ+ kids and the impact on their mental health.
"It's already a huge issue, I feel it's gonna skyrocket even more," Micala Myers said.
Moms for Liberty bills itself as an organization "fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government." It features more than 200 chapters across the U.S.