The Florida State Board of Education is proposing a rule which would raise the ban on sexual orientation and gender identity lectures in public schools.
The suggested law amendment cites that Sunshine State teachers must not purposely teach students from third grade and below about gender identity and sexual orientation.
Students from grades fourth to twelfth shouldn’t also be taught about these issues “unless such instruction is either expressly required by state academic standards … or is part of a reproductive health course or health lesson for which a student’s parent has the option to have his or her student not attend.”
A law from 2022 bans the educating of such sensitive issues to the students from grade three and below.
However, this year, lawmakers are looking to make amendments to the law by raising the grade from third to eighth, after which students below grade ninth won’t be taught such sensitive topics.
The current law states:
“Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade three or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
Likewise, the proposal to introduce an amendment to the rule advances further than an amendment introduced by the state board of education during the previous year that banned the teaching of such sensitive topics to the students from kindergarten to grade three.
According to a report by the Orlando Sentinel, the balloting for the rule amendment will take place next month, on April 19th.
