Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is embarking on the DeSantis Education Agenda Tour, launching Sunday, which will include stops in Miami-Dade, Sarasota, Volusia, and Duval counties for his pro-parent, student-first education agenda.
The DeSantis Education Agenda includes:
•Keep schools open and reject lockdowns
•Educate, don't indoctrinate
•Ensure parental rights in education and keep woke gender ideology out of schools
•Support robust civics education
•Expand workforce development and technical education
•Reject the use of critical race theory in the curriculum
•Increase teacher pay
•Continue support for school security and mental health initiatives
•Protect the right of parents to petition school boards and districts for redress of grievances
•Guarantee the right of parents to curriculum transparency
DeSantis-endorsed school board candidates have pledged to run on the DeSantis Education Agenda. DeSantis said he endorsed those candidates because he is committed to student success, parental rights, and curriculum transparency, which all start at the school board level.
In a statement, DeSantis, a Republican, said: "These pro-parent, pro-student local school board candidates are committed to the DeSantis Education Agenda. Parental rights, curriculum transparency, and classrooms free of woke ideology are all on the ballot this election, and it starts with school board elections.
"Florida's school boards need members who will defend our students and stand up for parental rights and will ensure Florida's children are protected from woke ideology in their classrooms," DeSantis said. "I am proud to stand by each of them."
DeSantis' education platform in Florida has been controversial. In February, he signed the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed by opponents as the "Don't Say Gay" law, which prohibits instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in school classrooms from kindergarten to Grade 3. The law took effect in July.
DeSantis has led an effort to
ban the teaching of critical race theory in Florida's public schools, although CRT is not a part of the public school curriculum. The Florida Board of Education approved the ban. Critics say the ban is an effort to politicize classroom education and whitewash American history.
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