Parental Rights Bill Passes, Headed to Gov. DeSantis

Parental Rights Bill Passes, Headed to Gov. DeSantis

By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida

TALLAHASSEE — A fiercely debated bill that would bar instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity for young public-school students is headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis, despite Democrats’ warnings Tuesday that the measure’s approval sends “a message of hate” to Floridians.

Senators voted 22-17 to pass the Parental Rights in Education bill (HB 1557) along almost straight party lines. Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, and Sen. Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, voted with Democrats against the bill.

The House voted 69-47 to pass the measure last month, meaning it is ready to go to DeSantis.

The proposal would require that instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity “may not occur” in kindergarten through third grade. For higher grades, the bill would prohibit such instruction if it is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate as determined by state academic standards.

“This (bill) doesn’t prevent that teacher from helping a student, from advising a student. What it does is specifically speak to planned instruction,” Sen. Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah, said in supporting the measure.

But the bill drew protests from LGBTQ-advocacy groups and has been the subject of headlines nationally, many of which have referred to it as the “don’t say gay” bill — a moniker given to it by critics.

Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book, D-Plantation, echoed other opponents in arguing the proposal isn’t needed.

“Despite the premise of the bill, I can tell you with absolute, 100 percent certainty, Florida’s educators are not indoctrinating young children with age-inappropriate or developmentally inappropriate curriculum. They’re not secretly pushing the gay agenda, the trans agenda, the woke agenda. It’s just not happening,” Book said.

Book also described the “spirit” of the bill as discriminatory.

“Members (senators), before you vote today, consider for yourself what kind of message do you, do we, want to send to every single person in the state of Florida and around the world?” Book added. “Does this body want to send a message of inclusion, of acceptance and celebration of diversity? Or do we want to send a message of hate, intolerance, othering and discrimination?”

Supporters titled the bill “Parental Rights in Education” and have pushed back against the “don’t say gay” label.

Other parts of the bill seek to prohibit schools from withholding information from parents about students’ mental or physical health and well-being.

For example, the bill says school employees “may not discourage or prohibit parental notification of and involvement in critical decisions affecting a student’s mental, emotional, or physical” health.

Sen. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, argued that the bill has been misrepresented by “rhetoric outside and on the news.”

“If I thought that this bill targeted a particular group of students, I’d press the red button (vote no). I’m voting in favor of this bill because I believe in our parents. This bill says parents have rights. It does not discriminate, and it does not silence anyone,” Burgess said.

But Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, an Orlando Democrat who is gay, spoke with reporters after the Senate vote and disputed that the bill had been mischaracterized.

“Eight Republicans from both the House and the Senate voted against this legislation because they know that it’s wrong,” Smith said.

Senate Democrats also hammered part of the legislation that would allow parents to sue school districts for violations of the bill.

“This bill opens the floodgate for vigilante justice,” Sen. Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee, said. “Parents who don’t like a teacher, don’t like a principal, don’t like a school or something that their child came home with. They can register their concern with the school district. If not satisfied with the outcomes, they can keep going and file suit without fear of consequences if their claim is without merit or even outrageous.”

The bill includes an alternative process for resolving disputes, which would involve administrative hearings before special magistrates.

DeSantis on Monday appeared to endorse the bill, telling reporters that lawmakers are trying to ensure that parents can “send their kid to kindergarten without having some of this stuff injected into their school curriculum.”

But Sen. Shevrin Jones, a West Park Democrat who is gay, told reporters Tuesday that he expects the bill to be challenged in court.

“There is a legal aspect of this that I believe … as soon as we sine die (end the legislative session), it will be challenged,” Jones said. “I’m no attorney, and I know it will be challenged.”

Rep. Michelle Rayner, a St. Petersburg Democrat who is lesbian and a lawyer, said the legislation was “written vaguely for a purpose.”

“I think that some of the supporters of the ‘don’t say gay’ bill, they want to go to court because they are hoping that the court system will agree with their discriminatory practices. But we have a whole plethora of law, we have case law, we have statutes, that say that this type of discrimination cannot happen,” Rayner said.

The bill’s passage Tuesday drew an immediate rebuke from U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, who criticized Florida lawmakers for “prioritizing hateful bills that hurt some of the students most in need.” The federal education department has frequently locked horns with the DeSantis administration, most recently over the governor’s efforts to prevent mask mandates in schools.

“The Department of Education has made clear that all schools receiving federal funding must follow federal civil rights law, including Title IX’s protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. We stand with our LGBTQ+ students in Florida and across the country and urge Florida leaders to make sure all their students are protected and supported,” Cardona said in a statement.

If signed by DeSantis, the measure would go into effect in July.

21 Responses to "Parental Rights Bill Passes, Headed to Gov. DeSantis"

  1. When the Child turns 13, all the Parent needs to do is, get a subscription to Club or Hustler for one year, leave it slightly hidden but where the kid can accidently find it and you are done.

  2. This bill also restricts encouraging discussion of normal sexual feelings and normal gender identities, which teachers should not be doing either. So theres really no problem with it. Teach reading, writing, math, history, and leave the social issues to parents until they decide their children are old enough.

  3. @ Todd… If you don’t get help at Charter, please, get help somewhere. For someone who belongs to the Party that professes tolerance, inclusion, and equality… you sure are one intolerant, excluding, and inequitable bitter person.

    News Flash… you’re not special, just different. Learn to deal with that reality.

  4. I wrote Rizzo and I meant Rep. Jason Pisso. Don’t pay “Odd Todd” any attention….he’s a girlyman who isn’t a Christ Follower. President Biden, and all the Democrats below him hate our Country and the love our enemy. They hate our Christian lifestyle and love Satan’s temptations.

  5. Come on Barb… U know u love dressing up like a guy and go pick up a women at the redneck bars.. Bet it reminds u of the old days when u where locked up …SMH

  6. Wow …sniveling whiplasher sounds like u are a pevert to me..i bet u like the video pics u get on the gay porn networks though… U should just go to the men’s room at the park.

  7. If Rocky Hannah were paying attention to what’s going on in his district’s schools, we wouldn’t need laws like this. But he pleads ignorance, so we need a law to make sure his ignorance doesn’t harm any more students. We didn’t need laws like this when school superintendents were focused on reading writing and arithmetic.

    The legislation should be called “Rocky’s law”.

  8. Leftist politicians and supporters strongly deny K – 3 grooming while desperately trying to hide their aroused state at the thought.

  9. What Pat, Bard, and Hope said… 100%. This is a direct result of the classic Democrat MO… “Invent Shark; Feed Shark; Jump Shark”

    Well done to our Legislature. And sign it as quickly and publicly as possible Mr. Governor. Contrary to a few load voices and their Media PACs, the VAST majority of Floridians and Americans as a whole, support this move to protect our children.

  10. The Democrats need to sit down and be quiet… Their leadership led us to to inflation, highest gas prices in 40 years, stock market down, blood on their hands in Afghanistan and the Ukraine, and WAR.

    They will lose in the midterms and they will lose in 2024 never to recover. Their corruption, immorality, incompetence, racism, CRT, and WOKEness has led them full-circle to their own demise.

  11. Remember when, prior to the same sex marriage decision, we were all told that people with same sex attraction just wanted to be able to love who they loved? We were asked, repeatedly, why can’t they just love who they want to love?

    I don’t remember anyone mentioning drag queens reading to little children at the library. I don’t remember anyone mentioning school personnel counseling children behind their parents’ backs. I don’t remember anyone mentioning rainbow flags being flown everywhere. I don’t remember anyone mentioning that people who have the audacity to say they believe what the Bible says about same sex relationships would be vilified.

    Funny how that works.

  12. The Homosexual Community can blame Leon County and their “Gender Breadman” for pushing the issue to law. Enough, already, of Democrat politicians citing their Catholic Faith, i.e. Rizzo, while pushing anti Bible laws. People Democrats are destroying our community and Country. Stop voting for them. If I could have one wish it would be Florida House/Senate members would Sack Up and pass good redistricting Bill’s instead of trying to make Democrats happy. We are on the edge of losing the Country we grew up in.

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