Florida’s public school students of all ages are in line to get lessons about the history of communism and could get programs and services from volunteer chaplains, under bills signed by DeSantis this week.
The change that will go into effect first will involve chaplains being allowed on campuses, under a bill signed Thursday.
Under the measure (HB 931), school districts and charter schools could choose to craft policies allowing chaplains to provide “support, services, and programs” as long as certain requirements are met.
For example, written parental consent would be required for students to participate and the policies would have to describe the services that would be provided. School districts that participate would have to publish on their web sites lists of the volunteer chaplains and their religious affiliations.
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Speaking at a high school in Osceola County alongside Republican allies and a local pastor, the governor touted the measure (HB 931) as bolstering existing resources that could help students with their mental health.
“It used to be, I mean, when education in the United States first started, every school was a religious school. That was just part of it. Public schools were religious schools. There’s been things that have been done over the years that veered away from that original intent,” DeSantis said.
But the measure has faced opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union, which maintains that such efforts are an unconstitutional violation of the separation of church and state.
“Allowing chaplains in public schools violates students’ and families’ right to religious freedom. And, because chaplains are typically not trained or certified to provide educational or counseling services to youth, students are likely to receive inadequate mental health support that, in some cases, may be harmful,” the ACLU said in a March post on its website.
The measure will go into effect on July 1.
On Wednesday, the governor signed a measure (SB 1264) that will lead to the history of communism being taught in grades as low as kindergarten. The lessons will be added to required instruction in public schools starting in the 2026-27 school year.
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DeSantis, flanked at Wednesday’s bill-signing event by veterans who served in the Bay of Pigs invasion, touted lessons that will be required under the bill.
“We’re going to tell the truth about the evils of communism,” DeSantis said.
The law requires lessons to be “age appropriate and developmentally appropriate” and to incorporate various topics related to communism, including the “history of communism in the United States and domestic communist movements” and “their histories and tactics.”
“Atrocities committed in foreign countries under the guidance of communism,” also would be required as part of the lessons.
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