ORLANDO, Fla. – New rules will be put into place Wednesday during a meeting led by the Florida Department of Education.
Among the agenda items are topics including student pronouns and bathroom choices.
The board is set to approve the prohibition of using pronouns outside of a student’s biological sex in schools. That means male students will be referred to as “he/him,” and female students will be referred to as “she/her.”
“Their sexual identity is not allowed in a school setting, so a gay student cannot be themselves,” State Rep. Anna Eskamani said.
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Despite the claim, state law doesn’t prohibit students from identifying themselves on the basis of sexual orientation or identity. Instead, the rules change would only prevent school staff from referring to students by pronouns that don’t align with their sex.
She will be at the meeting speaking against the proposals, like the policy based on new state law that students can only use bathrooms that correspond with their sex.
Speaking at a presidential campaign event in South Carolina yesterday, Gov. Ron Desantis vowed to fight against anybody seeking to rob children of their “innocence.”
“It is wrong to tell a second grader that they may have been born in the wrong body, or that their gender is a choice,” DeSantis said.
Education leaders will also discuss new course standards for social studies that would include a different K-12 strand for African American history.
The Department of Education also plans to approve a rule aiming to protect parents’ rights. The rule is meant to ensure children are not exposed to “inappropriate” school-sponsored events and activities.
According to leaders, it will enhance the safety and welfare of students.
“I think there’s actually a lot of danger in what’s being proposed,” Eskamani said.
While education officials say they’re protecting parents’ rights, Eskamani asks whether the rules infringe on students’ rights.
“These rules have consequences that go beyond LGBTQ+ spaces, but they really hinder a student’s ability to express their first amendment right and to learn more about themselves and the world around them through extracurricular activities,” Eskamani said.
Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez will give the board and update on behalf of the state superintendents.
The meeting will be held at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando.
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