Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona appeared to threaten Florida on Tuesday with civil rights action over the state's Parental Rights in Education bill or HB 1557, which he says is ''targeting vulnerable gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex children,'' according to Breitbart.
''Leaders in Florida are prioritizing hateful bills that hurt some of the students most in need,'' a statement from Cardona read. ''The Department of Education has made clear that all schools receiving federal funding must follow federal civil rights law, including Title IX's protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.''
The bill in question, which awaits either a signature or a veto from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, indicates that primary school teachers in Florida would be largely restricted from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity with their students beginning this summer. In addition, all public school teachers would be prohibited from teaching topics that are not ''age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.''
On Tuesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki added to Cardona's comments, tweeting, ''[President Joe Biden] and his Administration stand with LGBTQI+ students everywhere, including in Florida where they have passed hateful legislation targeting vulnerable students.''
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