Florida’s state education board voted Wednesday to ban teaching students about sexual orientation and gender identity through high school, expanding the scope of a contentious state law that last year thrust Gov. Ron DeSantis to the forefront of the cultural clash over classrooms.
The law DeSantis signed last year prohibited the instruction of these topics from kindergarten through third grade or in a way that was not age appropriate for all other grades. The decision Wednesday by the State Board of Education clarified that outside of health or reproductive courses, such instruction is not appropriate at any grade level.
Teachers who violate the new state policy could be suspended or have their teaching licenses revoked.
“We’re providing clarity on what the students are expected to learn. Nothing more than that,” said Esther Byrd, a board member appointed by DeSantis. “This really isn’t a complicated thing.”
Public comment on the vote lasted an hour as some supporters lined up to encourage the board to vote in favor of the proposal while others pushed them to reconsider.
“I want to be sure we are preserving spaces that are safe for students who are like me,” said Jennifer Webb, a former state lawmaker who was the first out queer woman to serve in the state House of Representatives.
The law DeSantis signed last year sparked national outrage from Democrats and LGBTQ advocates and prompted Republicans to propose similar legislation in state houses across the country.
At the time, DeSantis argued young children should not be exposed to concepts like gender identity, and he did not push for the ban to apply to upper grade levels. Indeed, in his new book, “The Courage to Be Free,” DeSantis accused the media of dishonestly suggesting he was blocking older students from these topics. In one exchange with a reporter he…
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