The office of Governor Ron DeSantis announced a “major win” Monday after a settlement was reached in federal court upholding the state’s Parental Rights in Education law. The decision comes nearly two years after civil rights attorneys sued to overturn the measure, arguing that it violated students’ free speech rights.
The settlement will allow the Parental Rights law to remain in place while clarifying its restrictions on classroom discussion of gender and sexuality. In a statement released Monday, the Governor’s office called the agreement “a major win against the activists who sought to stop Florida’s efforts to keep radical gender and sexual ideology out of the classrooms of public school children in kindergarten through third grade.”
“Frequently carrying water for the activists, the media wrote countless stories lying about the intent, design, and application of the law. The activists carried these same lies into the courtroom—thankfully, to no avail. Their judicial activism has failed. Today’s mutually agreed settlement ensures that the law will remain in effect and it is expected that the case will be dismissed by the Court imminently.”
Instead, the Florida Department of Education is expected to send instructions to each school district clarifying that the law specifically applies to classroom instruction. Under the terms of the settlement, teachers will be allowed to discuss topics including sexual orientation, but only as long as it is not made part of the class curriculum.
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The @AP just can't stop lying.
This law, the Parental Rights in Education Act, is about instruction.
They lied when it was a bill, parroting activist scare tactics that it could somehow punish student to student conversation ("Don't Say Gay").
Now that the activists lost in… https://t.co/Nr2sOSPXPc
— Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) March 11, 2024
The settlement also clarifies that the law does not prevent teachers from intervening in bullying based on sexual orientation and does not prevent the formation of LGBTQ student groups. Classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation, however, remains prohibited in Florida schools.
“We fought hard to ensure this law couldn’t be maligned in court, as it was in the public arena by the media and large corporate actors,” said DeSantis’ general counsel, Ryan Newman.
“We are victorious, and Florida’s classrooms will remain a safe place under the Parental Rights in Education Act.”
Attorney Roberta Kaplan, who represented the plaintiffs, also celebrated the ruling as a win despite failing to have the law struck down.
“For nearly two years, Florida’s notorious ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law has spawned a disturbing wave of fear, anxiety, and confusion,” Kaplan said in a statement. “By providing much-needed clarity, this settlement represents a major victory for the many thousands of LGBTQ+ students, teachers, parents, and their allies throughout Florida.”
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LOOK! This is how local media is covering the HUGE victory in court today for the Parental Rights in Education Act which prohibits classroom instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity in K–3 classrooms.
They HATE this law. pic.twitter.com/IrYTZmfSxC
— Chris Nelson 🇺🇸 🏝 (@ReOpenChris) March 11, 2024
The Parental Rights in Education measure was signed into law by Governor DeSantis in March 2022. The bill’s language specified that “Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
The law was later expanded to include grades four through twelve. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of teachers, students, and their families, as well as the nonprofits Equality Florida and Family Equality.
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