So-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law confuses some Florida schools

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Some Florida schools have moved library books and debated changing textbooks in response to a law critics are calling “Don’t Say Gay,” and some teachers worry that family photos on their desks can get them in trouble. .

as students back from summer vacationEducators are cautiously adjusting and waiting to see how the new law governing lessons on gender and sexual orientation will be interpreted and enforced.

The new law, championed by Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, bans lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade, as well as material deemed inappropriate for age. Most educators don’t expect a major change in curricula; one of the main reasons critics cited for saying the law was unnecessary was that teachers don’t cover such subjects in the early grades anyway.

But some worry it will set a tone that will leave LGBTQ teachers and kids feeling left out.

“The message of this law is horrible. It’s toxic, it’s discriminatory,” said Gretchen Robinson, a lesbian high school teacher in Orange County. “It targets, very obviously, LGBTQ students, the ‘others,’ and that’s not right.”

Workshops on the law that her school district’s legal team held over the summer caused confusion. Some staff members said they were told that teachers in kindergarten through third grade could not display pride flags or photos of their same-sex spouses. The district later said the law only applied to classroom instruction and photos were allowed. He apologized for offering misguidance with a hypothetical discussion.

Robinson said schools in her area had handed out rainbow lanyards and inclusion stickers, but she wasn’t sure if teachers would continue to wear or display them. She also worried that some teachers “err on the side of caution and leave things out” during lessons.

The law attracted widespread attention and condemnation earlier this year, when he made his way through the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. Critics called it “Don’t Say Gay”, although it contains no bans on specific phrases and does not exclude material about sexual orientation deemed age-appropriate for grades 4 and above.

Opponents say the law would stifle classroom discussion, arguing that it doesn’t clarify what might be considered inappropriate. It also establishes an enforcement mechanism that invites parents to file lawsuits against districts, which could heighten tensions between conservatives and school officials.

The Florida debate mirrors one playing out across the country, with fights on school boards and state legislatures over what and how children learn about race, gender, sexual orientation and American history. DeSantis and other Republicans have argued that parents should be the ones in control to teach their children about sexual orientation and gender identity.

DeSantis recently addressed some of the concerns at an unrelated news conference, saying, “You know, I hear some people say, ‘Wow, school’s coming up.’ But, you know, Florida, they have parental rights in education, they banned CRT (critical race theory), all of these things. People, how are you going to know what to teach or whatever?

“And I’m just thinking to myself, you know, you teach reading, math, science, the basic stuff. And gender ideology, CRT, sexuality is not taught in primary schools. That’s not too hard to know and that’s not too hard to understand,” he said.

Educators say the state Department of Education has not yet clearly spelled out how the law will be enforced. In June, the agency issued a memo on the law to school district superintendents, but it mostly contained a copy-and-paste of the legislative text. The agency did not immediately return an email seeking comment from AP.

“The guidance we’re giving people is that it’s confusing and we don’t know how it’s going to be interpreted. But what we can do is take care of children and give them the good learning environment they deserve,” said Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association.

The law has been at the center of discussion over sex education materials in Miami-Dade County, which has the largest school system in the state. Some school board members said the new textbooks featured images of condoms, diaphragms and intrauterine devices that were too graphic for high school students.

When school officials sought board approval for new textbooks in April after the law passed, administrators said they would remove chapters covering gender identity and sexuality. Board members approved the online textbooks but then reversed their decision last month after receiving public pressure. The board backtracked again last week to adopt the textbooks without the chapters on gender identity and sexuality.

In Palm Beach County, school officials say they’ve gone through the books and moved just a handful to a separate section that isn’t accessible to children in third grade and younger.

In several school districts, teachers have said they are concerned about parents filing complaints about perceived violations while there is still not much clarity on the new law.

Norma Schwartz, a parent of a fifth grader and an eighth grader in Miami-Dade schools, said the law can make some students, families and teachers feel targeted.

“It goes against our mission and vision, to empower all kids, not make them feel like they don’t belong,” said Schwartz, who is part of the Miami-Dade County Council PTA, which has opposed the law. “When it comes to parent rights, we are the PTA. We have 100 years. We want parent involvement, we want to empower parents.”

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