The controversial Parental Rights in Education bill, which has been dubbed the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill by critics, was signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday.
The bill prohibits classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. It also prohibits instruction that is not age appropriate for students and requires school districts to adopt procedures for notifying parents if there is a change in services from the school regarding a child’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being.
After the third grade, any conversations about sexual orientation or gender identity that occur inside a classroom would need to be age appropriate.
DeSantis said, “Parents’ rights have been increasingly under assault around the nation, but in Florida, we stand up for the rights of parents and the fundamental role they play in the education of their children.”
DeSantis continued by saying, “Parents have every right to be informed about services offered to their child at school and should be protected from schools using classroom instruction to sexualize their kids as young as 5 years old.”
The bill ensures that at the beginning of each school year, parents will be notified about healthcare services offered at the school, and they will have the right to decline any service offered.
In addition, the bill also ensures that whenever a questionnaire or health screening is given to a student between kindergarten and third grade, parents will receive it first and will provide permission for the school to administer the questionnaire or health screening to their child.
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