In the last week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) signed numerous education-related bills into law. Along with the nationally famous Parental Rights in Education Bill, DeSantis signed legislation installing term limits for school board members, limiting restraints on students, and ensuring school staff had an “individualized seizure action plan.”
One of the more notable bills, HB 1467, included the school board term limits but also required school districts to be transparent in their school curriculum.
“In Florida, our parents have every right to be involved in their child’s education. We are not going to let politicians deny parents the right to know what is being taught in our schools. I’m proud to sign this legislation that ensures curriculum transparency,” said DeSantis.
According to a graphic pushed out by the DeSantis administration, the bill requires a three-step process for schools determining curriculum.
“The bill requires school districts to have procedures that allow parents to see all books in the school library, all required classroom book lists, and any instructional materials a teacher intends to use,” the pamphlet says.
The bill would then provide parents with the opportunity to provide review and would ensure curriculum is aligned with state standards and does not include “CRT or Common Core.”
Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls (R-Palm Harbor) said the bill would provide additional accountability.
“We depend on our K-12 schools to teach facts and age-appropriate subject material. We expect them to be transparent about the contents of the curriculum in our classrooms and to value parent feedback,” said Sprowls. “This legislation will improve accountability, curriculum transparency and trust, and it will ensure that Florida continues its tradition of maintaining the highest expectations for our education system. The addition of term limits helps to weaken any political motives and shifts the focus of school boards back to the best interests of our children, as it should be.
One of the other bills included HB 235, which limits a “mechanical restraint” use on students.
Florida State Representative Rene Plasencia (R-Orlando) sponsored the bill and said his school district, where he was a former teacher, still utilized physical restraints.
“It took us 12 years to pass the last bill, and last summer we found out there was a carve-out for mechanical restraints,” Plasencia said. “There aren’t a lot of school districts that utilize this anymore, and there’s really no need for it.”
DeSantis also signed HB 173 which permits parents of public-school students to draft an “individualized seizure action” plan in the event their child endures a seizure while at school.
School employees, including bus drivers and nurses, would be required to attend training for students who suffered from seizures or epilepsy.
“Thanks to their hard work, Florida is giving parents the tools to know their kids can attend school safely, and with the full knowledge that if their child has a seizure, school personnel will be ready to deal with it,” said Karen Basha Egozi, CEO of Epilepsy Florida. “We look forward to this legislation becoming law.”
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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 “Ron DeSantis Signs Curriculum Transparency Bill” by Michael Birkas.
