Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis announced a series of comprehensive proposals for the state’s higher education institutions, including the implementation of basic course requirements focused on Western Civilization, eliminating courses centered on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and critical race theory (CRT), and changing the way tenured faculty are reviewed by the state.
Information released by the governor’s office stated that DeSantis’s proposal aims to “further elevate civil discourse and intellectual freedom in higher education, further repelling the tactics of liberal elites that suppress free thought in the name of identity politics and indoctrination.”
“We are announcing a series of proposals to continue leading in higher education,” the governor said at a press conference at the State College of Florida. “The first thing we want to propose is that we want to ensure that everyone who goes through a Florida university has to meet certain basic requirements, which should really focus on giving them the foundation to think for themselves. And the core curriculum should be grounded in the real history, the real philosophy that shaped Western Civilization; our institutions will form students, I think with degrees that will be meaningful,” he added.
DeSantis targets his favorite topic: areas of the state’s higher education system dealing with diversity, equity, and inclusion and critical race theory. In early January, the DeSantis administration requested that all public universities provide information on initiatives and spending associated with DEI programs and critical race theory. DeSantis stated that these topics act as an “ideological filter.”
Dr. Carolynne Gischel from Florida Gulf Coast University reacted to the governor’s plans.
“It is not an exaggeration to say how disturbing it is to know that Governor DeSantis believes that concepts like diversity, equity, and inclusion are divisive issues. In fact, if he knew the definition of inclusion, he would understand that it is the opposite of divisive,” Gischel said. “Governor DeSantis is waging a battle of his own making, and he knows it. He is pretending to address urgent issues of ‘ideological indoctrination,’ but these issues exist only in his mind.”
“Does Governor DeSantis really believe that he alone decides the future of our students? Does he really believe that restricting the curriculum and denying access to quality courses benefits our students?” Gischel continues. “Does he really believe that ignorance about diversity, equity, and inclusion benefits our communities? Or is Governor DeSantis driven by his own political agenda and scoring points with his base to promote his political career, regardless of the cost to our students and their education?” she questions.
DeSantis is a potential presidential candidate in 2024 for the Republican Party.
Banned Books
The education reform in Florida is not limited to higher education. The DeSantis administration signed a measure requiring that media resources in school libraries be approved by a “school district employee who holds a valid educational media specialist certificate,” according to the Florida Department of Education, which released guidance memos in December. The selection of library materials – including classroom libraries – must be “free of pornography” and “appropriate to the needs of students and their ability to understand the material presented” and “suitable for the grade and age range.”
“A teacher (or any adult) can be criminally charged if they knowingly distribute material with images depicting sexual conduct, sexual assault, bestiality, or sadomasochistic abuse,” the memo adds.
Displaying or giving students a banned book is a third-degree felony. A conviction is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Some believe this will deter teachers in a state already suffering from a teacher shortage.
Students from various public schools in Florida returned to the academic year in January finding books on shelves covered – and other books completely banned – under the new state law.
So far, more than 50 books have been banned from classrooms and school libraries in the state of Florida.
“As a parent, I should have the right to authorize my child to read any book I consider appropriate,” said Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association, the state’s teachers’ union.
Spar is part of a group of parents who believe this is a case of government overreach.
“So now my child does not have the opportunity to read a book that he can connect with, that excites him, and that I would agree to him reading,” he said. “I no longer have that choice as a parent because the government is saying that the book is no longer allowed.”
Source: WGCU and NPR