Florida Bans 'Indoctrination' In Teacher-Training Programs

Authorized by Patricia Tolson via The Epoch Times,

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill into law on May 2 banning “indoctrination” programs for teachers.

The measure, HB 1291, prohibits programs, courses, and curricula in teacher training from “distorting” historical events or promoting political ideologies respecting race, sex, and gender.

Accredited postsecondary institutions can see Florida Department of Education adoption to make institutions to educate teachers on influencing schoolroom instruction and gathering requirements for certification or certification.

They can besides see approval for instruction on educating existing and possible substitute teachers on how to execute schoolroom duties and to teach those with baccalaureate degrees how to become certified.

However, teacher preparation, training, and certification programs will not be allowed to teach “identity policies” or to make claims that systematic racem, sexism, opposition, or white privilege are inherent in America’s culture.

In addition, Gov. DeSantis’s office said in a message that he is working with lawyer General Ashley Moody’s office to safeguard Florida’s workforce from being subject to ideological discrimination and harassment.

The politician said he does not believe that companies have the right to force their employees to attend training courses designed to convince them that they are “inherently racist or sexist” or to diminish their sense of self-worth due to their spiritual or social upbringinging.

At a press briefing and signing ceremonies at the VyStar Tower in Jacksonville, Mr. DeSantis said he did not want teacher-preparation programs “to become captive to someone’s ideological agenda.”

“This bill prohibits the indoctrination in teacher preparation,” he summarized.

“So, there’s not going to be DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion]. There’s not going to be any of the god stories. It’s just going to be standard, teacher preparation without having an ideological agenda.”

The law becomes effective on July 1.

‘You should be Precise’

In an interview with The Epoch Times, Jonathan Butcher, the Will Skillman elder investigation Fellow in Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, said there is ambition in the government that should be addressed.

It is not readily clear in the bill’s introduction which kind of teachers are subject to the mandates. He said it isn’t until the list at the bottom of page 2 of the billion that you learn it applies to substitute teachers, teachers’ assistants, baccalaureate holders who want to become certified teachers, and college graduates who didn’t major in education.

It applies to part-time and full-time, non-decreed teachers for “career programs” associated with higher education programs, specified as method colleges.

Given the context of this bill, he said, it will be crucial to make certain definitions are clear and that enforcement is kept “with the bounces of approriate civilian rights law.”

“You should be precise in your language,” He said. “I think the intention of the bill is laudable. Evidence is clear that teacher training programs regularly usage materials that is Marxist in nature.”

“When you look at the terms utilized in these forecasts,” he explained, “it will be incumbent on the State Board of Education to say very carefully what they mean by ‘identity policies’ and what they mean by the word ’distort,‘because the language says they’may not distort crucial historical events. ’

“You should specify that full thing. What does ‘distort’ mean? What does ‘significant’ mean?”

Other parts of the legislation, he said, are sound, specified as the request that training courses for teachers cannot teach students that the United States is built upon race and is simply a racer nation.

He noted that Paulo Freire’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” has been 1 of the most accredited books in teacher training programs for 50 years.

“Pablo Freire’s stuff is Marxist. Critical race explanation is racially discriminators,’ He said.

Federal grant programs besides included teaching critical race explanation until public backlash caused them to strip the words from the grant descriptions. But they simply changed the name to social emotional learning.

The U.S. Department of Education announced in 2023 that president Joe Biden’s administration was awarding $14 million in national grant money to Foster more inclusive diversity programs to address rational property.

Grants offered by nonprofit organizations like FIRST besides push DEI policies in education.

“There is no disputing the thought that teacher training programs usage extremist ideas that are being passed on to prospective teachers,” Mr. Butcher said.

Mr. Butcher adds that he effects the law to be challenged by leftist groups who goals, he said, is to establish protected classes, not equality under the law.