A parents’ education organization is praising Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for prioritizing academics amid the national controversy over activism in the classroom.
Free to Learn Coalition President Alleigh Marré specifically referenced DeSantis’s signing of HB 1467, the Curriculum Transparency Bill, in a letter sent to the governor first obtained by The Daily Wire.
The organization is one of several prominent education groups that have been fighting back against ideology in schools, particularly during the Virginia gubernatorial election.
“We applaud Governor DeSantis for not only engaging with and listening to parents, but also for making real, tangible progress by getting bipartisan legislation across the finish line,” Marré told The Daily Wire in a statement. “Parents should always be involved in their children’s education, and we certainly hope this type of dialog happens across the country. The focus of K-12 education should be academics, not activism.”
Free to Learn’s letter to the governor notes that it is more important than ever to “recognize actions that foster an environment primed for student success and parental” at a time when “K-12 education has become increasingly political.”
“Over the last two years we have seen students fall farther and farther behind because of school shutdowns, virtual learning, and overall poor leadership from adults entrusted with our children’s success,” the letter said. “Instead of a focused recovery, these institutional education entities are currently engaged in a widespread push to de-emphasize academic achievement in the name of activism.”
“This political agenda does not benefit students and is also out of touch with the academic achievement parents seek for their children,” the letter continued. “Free to Learn and the parents we support want an education system that will set our children up for productive and successful adult lives.”
NEW: @GovRonDeSantis has signed HB1467 requiring schools to publicly disclose all curriculum to parents:
"Parents have a fundamental role to be involved in the education of their kids. That's how it's going to be in the state of Florida." pic.twitter.com/nLgzqtwMjD
— American Principles 🇺🇸 (@approject) March 25, 2022
HB 1467 comes in “the Year of the Parent,” the governor’s office said in a press release when DeSantis signed the legislation, noting that HB 1467 is focused on empowering parents to make decisions about what their children are exposed to.
The legislation, which also sets 12-year term limits for school board members, requires schools to “notice” and keep meetings on the selection of school instructional materials open to the public.
School districts must provide parents with access to all the proposed materials at least 20 days before the school board takes official action, according to the bill, and the state Department of Education (DOE) must publish a list of the removed or discontinued materials.
“In Florida, our parents have every right to be involved in their child’s education,” DeSantis said in a statement at the time. “We are not going to let politicians deny parents the right to know what is being taught in our schools. I’m proud to sign this legislation that ensures curriculum transparency.”
Marré’s letter to the governor notes that Free to Learn understands “far too well that many decisions about curriculum are often made without an opportunity for parental engagement.”
“It is only with a supportive environment, like that created with the Curriculum Transparency Bill, that parents can hold the education establishment accountable for the instructional materials being utilized in the classroom,” she said.
The letter also applauded HB 1467’s limit of school board members to 12 years.
“This new system of checks and balances only stands to benefit students,” she wrote. “It’s important that elected education leadership is responsive to and representative of their constituency.”
“Longtime school board members risk becoming too comfortable with the status quo, and easily swayed by powerful institutional entities which can make them lose touch with their ultimate customers – K-12 students and their parents,” Marré added.
“We strongly believe that the Curriculum Transparency Bill will empower parents to advocate on behalf of their children and ensure the next generation has an opportunity to attain the education they deserve,” she told the governor. “Thank you for your strong leadership and willingness to stand up for parents.”
Shortly after he signed the Curriculum Transparency Bill, DeSantis also signed the state’s Parental Rights in Education legislation, a bill banning classroom instruction about gender identity and sexual orientation for small children.
The bill has been wildly misrepresented as “Don’t Say Gay” legislation by critics who most notably have taken issue with HB 1557’s statement that “classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
Students in kindergarten are typically five years old, while third graders generally are eight or nine years old.
Nowhere in the legislation is the word “gay” mentioned, though the word “parent” is mentioned 32 times and the word “parental” is mentioned eight times. The legislation heavily focuses on parental notification and parental awareness of what children are being taught or exposed to in school.
Leftist activists know that Americans overwhelmingly oppose indoctrinating children with sexual or gender ideology, DeSantis said the day he signed the bill, pointing to polling, like that done by outlets like The Daily Wire and POLITICO, that showed most Americans don’t want gender identity being taught in schools
“Someone told me that there’s even people in Hollywood that are opposed to providing protections for parents and enforcing parents rights,” he added. “The one thing I’ll say about that: the people who held up degenerates like Harvey Weinstein as exemplars, if those are the types of people opposing us on parents rights, I wear that like a badge of honor.”