PENSACOLA, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will sign a sweeping education reform bill that includes, among other things, limits on the number of book challenges a person can make if they are not a parent of a student in a school district.
DeSantis made the announcement during a Monday news conference at a Pensacola school that was turned into a charter school by the Escambia School District after its grades did not improve.
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The bill, HB 1285, limits the number of books a person who is not a student’s parent or guardian to one per month. The goal is to limit the influx of book challenges to school districts. For instance, Escambia County’s school district saw 215 objections in the 2022-2023 school year but only removed nine book titles.
The bill also institutes new requirements for school districts that want to turn a school into a charter school, including requiring the new charter school to give enrollment preference to students of the former public school and prohibiting school districts from charging leasing fees to the charter school company for the facility.
It also makes more provisions for schools that offer a “classical education” and for teachers who seek a “classical education” degree. DeSantis is a huge proponent of the classical education movement, which is popular among conservative and Christian groups.
The bill also allows school districts to send students considered “disruptive” to a disciplinary program or alternative school, but a student cannot be labeled eligible for these programs solely because they have a disability.
HB 1285 is one of several bills promising education reforms that were passed in the Florida legislature this year.
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