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Emphasizing that school boards have a “significant impact” on families, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday focused heavily on his support for candidates who align with his education agenda as he helped kick off an event for the conservative group Moms for Liberty.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis’ political campaign this week launched a questionnaire designed to gauge how closely local school board candidates align with the Republican leader’s educational priorities.
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Calling it a move toward “curriculum transparency,” Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that will intensify scrutiny of school library books and instructional materials and impose 12-year term limits on school board members.
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Governor Ron DeSantis has scored a critical victory in his war against so-called “wokeness.” The Republican-controlled legislature is sending him a bill that says employers cannot compel their employees to participate in training that can make the employee feel bad; schools cannot teach subjects like history or race in a way that can make students feel the same. In addition to fighting wokeness, the legislature is also allowing greater flexibility in challenging school books, and term-limiting school board members.
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School board members in Florida are likely to keep their salaries, for now. The Florida Senate has dropped a plan that would have replaced salaries with stipends, and is now focused on the term limit issue. The proposal also includes language around how schools select classroom and library materials while giving parents more power to get rid of books they don’t like.
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The Florida House is poised to vote on a proposal that would ramp up scrutiny of school library books and instructional materials. A provision added to the bill would impose eight-year term limits on school board members.
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Amid the social justice movements of the last two years, Republicans caught wind of another boogyman: something called Critical Race Theory. It’s an academic framework used in higher education to explore how race, and racism, influence public policy. It is NOT taught in Florida’s public K-12 schools. That, alongside ongoing efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion in government and businesses, is a step too far for many.
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Florida Republicans want voters to reverse a 1998 constitutional amendment that created non-partisan school board races. School boards have been under fire, most recently, over backlash to school closures, mask-wearing, and teachings on history, racism, and sexual identity.
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Local school boards have been under fire, most recently, over backlash to efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Even before the coronavirus pandemic, many boards were facing criticism on policies regarding LGBTQ students, transgender bathrooms, and the classic textbook battles. Now, an effort to return those school board elections to partisan races is back—with a powerful sponsor.
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The federal government recently announced it would investigate threats against local school board members. The announcement comes amid growing acrimony between parental groups and public school leaders over issues like face masks and critical race theory. Yet, where some see a threat—others see an exercise of free speech.