On March 25, 2022 and March 28, 2022 Gov. Ron DeSantis approved House Bills 1467 and 1557. These bills established term limits for school board members and provided parental rights in education. The two bills aim to focus on curriculum transparency as it pertains to reading material, instructional material and the informational material included in school libraries.
The ‘curriculum transparency’ bill will require school districts to provide access to all instructional materials to the public at a minimum of 20 days prior to utilization. In addition, district employees are expected to review all materials in media centers and the assigned reading lists for the schools. The Department of Education (DOE) is now also responsible for publishing a list of materials that was removed by the school board due to objections.
By introducing House Bill 1557, parents are given the authority to regulate the material their children are learning in school, including material that exposes children to sexuality issues throughout society. This bill also requires the DOE to reinforce the fundamental rights of parents to make decisions pertaining to the control of their children and the upbringing of the children.
“As a parent, I believe it is very helpful for us to have a say in what our children are learning,” said Asia Littles, a Tallahassee mother of two. “I do think the parental rights will be helpful, but I don’t think anything pertaining to United States history should be excluded from the learning curriculum, which includes the history of gay rights and racial discrimination.”
DeSantis approved this legislation with the belief that parental rights in education should be protected and parents should be knowledgeable of the material their children are being exposed to during their time at school.