JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed a sweeping education that, among other things, makes changes to the way people can challenge books in school districts.
The governor held the signing for HB 1285 at Jacksonville Classical Academy, a charter school that focuses on western culture and a more traditional curriculum.
Among the many provisions of HB 1285, the bill 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 idea that someone can use the parents’ rights and the curriculum transparency to start objecting to every single book, to try to make a mockery of this, is wrong. And you had examples where books were put under review that are just normal books that have been in education for many many years,” DeSantis said.
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.
Watch the full news conference below: