The full Senate in Florida is about to take up a bill that aims to keep “identity politics” out of teacher preparation programs.
The proposal, known as SB 1372, was approved by the Republican-dominated Rules Committee on Monday. This is one of the most contentious education bills of the 2024 legislative session.
The bill prohibited “identity politics” and “based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities” from being taught in college and university teacher preparation programs.
Read: School Chaplains Heading To Full Florida Senate
Blaise Ingoglia, a Republican from Spring Hill who is sponsoring a bill in the Senate, stated that the goal of the bill is to prevent “future teachers who are taking teacher-prep courses in colleges and universities from being mandated to take classes or curricula that push theories.”
However, the ACLU of Florida’s Kara Gross, legislative director and senior policy counsel, denounced the bill as “government censorship.”
Read: Florida Gov. DeSantis To Seek Input On Left Lane Bill
“Our right to read, learn, debate, and discuss popular and unpopular views is protected by the First Amendment, regardless of whether those views coincide with the views of the majority in power,” stated Gross.
The entire House is prepared to take up a related House bill (HB 1291).
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