Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced at a press conference Wednesday the unveiling of new anti-woke legislation referred to as the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (WOKE) Act. After DeSantis banned Critical Race Theory (CRT) from Florida’s schools he said this is the next step in legislation to fight back against “woke indoctrination.”
“In Florida we are taking a stand against the state-sanctioned racism that is critical race theory,” said DeSantis in an official press release. “We won’t allow Florida tax dollars to be spent teaching kids to hate our country or to hate each other. We also have a responsibility to ensure that parents have the means to vindicate their rights when it comes to enforcing state standards. Finally, we must protect Florida workers against the hostile work environment that is created when large corporations force their employees to endure CRT-inspired ‘training’ and indoctrination.”
According to a pamphlet released by the state breaking down the legislation’s intentions and provisions, the Stop WOKE Act will provide a framework for Florida’s schools and businesses, along with the penalties.
In schools, the legislation will codify in state statute the Florida Department of Education’s ban on CRT in K-12 schools as well as a ban in Florida’s public schools and places of higher learning from hiring “woke CRT consultants.”
For Florida businesses, the plan intends to protect “employees against a hostile work environment due to critical race theory training.” As a result of violations of the bill, employees, parents, and students will be ensured “a private right of action” as well as enhancing the authority of the Florida Department of Education.
In his continued comments, DeSantis harkened back to the civil rights efforts of Martin Luther King Jr. as inspiration for the legislation.
“You think about what MLK stood for. He said he didn’t want people judged on the color of their skin, but on the content of their character,” DeSantis said. “You listen to some of these people nowadays, they don’t talk about that.”
Earlier this year, DeSantis signed the Parental Bill of Rights legislation which ensured parents have the right to make medical decisions for their children, as well as determining if they want their child to be exposed to sex education curriculum in public schools.
He maintained this legislation protects the rights of the parents over their kids and keeps Florida’s students from being indoctrinated to Marxist ideology.
“We have the responsibility to stand for the truth, for what is right,” DeSantis said. “We also have to protect our people and our kids from some very pernicious ideologies that are trying to be forced upon them all across the country.”
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Grant Holcomb is a reporter at The Florida Capital Star and The Star News Network. Follow Grant on Twitter and direct message tips.
Photo “Gov. Ron DeSantis” by Governor Ron DeSantis.
