By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida
TALLAHASSEE — Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. on Wednesday gave his staff the go-ahead to “pull” LGBTQ support documents at all school districts, after a State Board of Education member asserted that some could violate a controversial new law.
Board member Ryan Petty said he has “grave concerns” about some LGBTQ support guides provided to students, teachers and school staff members. Petty specifically took issue with one sentence from a Palm Beach County district guide, reading it aloud during a State Board of Education meeting in Pensacola.
“With the very limited exception involving the imminent fear of physical harm, it is never appropriate to divulge the sexual orientation or gender identity of a student to a parent/caregiver without that student’s informed consent,” the Palm Beach County document said in a section titled, “Talking to parents/caregivers.”
Petty asked the state Department of Education to collect every support guide with the goal of conducting a “review, by this board, to ensure compliance with state law and department regulation.”
But Petty was reading an excerpt that already has been removed following a review of the guide by the Palm Beach County school district. A section on talking to parents and guardians was overhauled substantially after the district’s review.
“Parents are entitled to access their students’ educational records. If the information about a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity is contained in a student record, parents are entitled to this information,” the section now says. “Students also have a constitutional right to privacy which includes the right to determine whether or not sensitive information about themselves will be disclosed to others.”
Petty did not name the law that he suspects is being violated, but the Legislature this year passed a controversial measure (HB 1557) that bars classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades. In older grades, the law prohibits such instruction that is not “age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate” for students in accordance with state standards.
Much of the law, which was formally titled “Parental Rights in Education” by its sponsors but given the moniker “don’t say gay” by detractors, is centered on bolstering parental involvement in “critical decisions” about student well-being.
For instance, school boards are directed under the law to adopt procedures for notifying parents if there are changes in students’ services or monitoring related to the students’ mental, emotional or physical health.
“The procedures must reinforce the fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding the upbringing and control of their children by requiring school district personnel to encourage a student to discuss issues relating to his or her well-being with his or her parent or to facilitate discussion of the issue with the parent,” the law said.
The revised Palm Beach support guide also points out that the law allows districts to adopt procedures that permit school personnel to withhold information if it could lead to “abuse, abandonment or neglect” of students.
Diaz immediately signed off on Petty’s request to probe whether any districts’ LGBTQ support guides run afoul of the law.
“I think we hear what board member Petty is bringing up loud and clear, and we will go ahead and proceed with that request and we will pull those (support guides) and Senior Chancellor (Jacob) Oliva will start that process as soon as we get back,” Diaz said during the meeting, which was held at Pensacola State College.
The board’s move drew immediate criticism from the LGBTQ-advocacy organization Equality Florida, whose press secretary, Brandon Wolf, called it part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “cynical weaponization of state agencies” against LGBTQ youth.
“Across the state, districts have spent years working alongside their communities to create more inclusive school environments, implementing nationally recognized best practices for supporting all students. Now, the governor is politicizing those resources for the purpose of bolstering his election year bona fides. School districts routinely review and update these resources to remain in compliance with all applicable laws and provide the best possible support for students,” Wolf said in a statement to The News Service of Florida.
“Equality Florida’s grave concern is for the protection of LGBTQ students. The Department of Education’s record on these issues has demonstrated clear hostility toward those protections,” Wolf’s statement added.
Petty’s focus on LGBTQ support guides was spurred by a conversation held by the state board Wednesday as it weighed approval of a new rule regarding student field trips and extracurricular activities.
Part of the rule requires that district procedures include a requirement that parents sign permission forms that include information such as whether “room assignments for overnight lodging are not separated by biological sex at birth.”
The state board approved the rule.
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Looking at test scores across the state, some of you can’t even teach Math. Stay in your lane. Unless you’re a board certified psychologist, you have no business approaching this subject with someone else’s child. Everyone on the left just assumes teachers will be supportive of a child, no matter what. Trust me, not everyone believes as you do, including teachers. Bet you wouldn’t be pushing teachers to have these discussions if the teacher has their own personal beliefs that don’t match yours. Then what?
What is with the Homosexual Community these days? I don’t care what you do legally in the privacy of your own home just stop rubbing it in my face. And leave the kids out of it. Being a kid is tough enough. Why do the homos want to confuse the youth that is already confused. If there really is more than two genders why are their only two sex change options (male or female)? And (insert sarcasm) thanks for bringing the Black Plague of the 21st Century to us in the form of AIDS and Monkey Pox. Someone needs to instruct the homosexual community on preventing sexually transmitted diseases
We have created a generation of kids that does not know the meaning of discretion. I can remember when abortion was kept private. Today, some women are proud of having an abortion. What does a liberal keep private these days?
What happened to the PTA? Something happened to take a basically volunteer group and transformed it into a high paying political career. Make Jeannie C. Riley happy by abolishing all school boards and bring back the PTA.
@Inyra : I have NO problem with LGB Teachers, as long as they keep their “Life Style” at Home and keep it out of the Classroom.
The ill informed hatred here is nauseating. You speak as though there are no (alhabet) LEO and military members who could want to be teachers. You speak as though “straight” LEO and Miltary could never be real pedophiles and abusers. Hah! A quick internet search will show you that’s a big fat lie.
I expect after few exmilitary or excops go postal on a student or parent from their PTSD that you’ll deny it’s a problem. I expect after a few of those straight, violence indoctrinated types you adore so clearly are arrested for inappropriate activity of a sexual nature with students that you’ll choose to deny it.
Schools need to be focused on basic education, not social issues. Students need to be taught critical thinking, not LGBTQ grooming.
LGBTQ Issues and Teachings need to be kept OUT of Schools up through the 8th Grade. Teachers and Staff should NEVER broch the Subject with ANY Student all the way up through High School. There is enough Porn on the Net that you can even remove Sex Ed from the Classrooms.
O/T
It is with great sadness to announce that the 4tlh publication under the leadership of Skip Foster and supported by funds from the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce (CSC) and desperate local campaign candidates such as John Dailey and David Bellamy has descended into the depths of evil. May God have mercy on their souls.
On the good news side the Tallahassee Democrat has improved greatly with the departure of Skip Foster.
Trust no one who uses the term “best practices“ to justify their actions. These Groomers must be reigned in ASAP, before they do anymore irreparable damage to our children. They intentionally commandeered the rainbow and unicorn images for their express purpose of getting to our children.
These are sick and twisted people, and we must protect our children and their impressionable minds.
Great job Govorner Desantis. We got to keep those rabid groomers on as short a leash as possable.
Keep on pushing ex military and ex LEO’s into becoming teachers in order to send those Groomers to the graveyard shift at the Circle K where they belong.
“Across the state, districts have spent years working alongside their communities to create more inclusive school environments, ….”
Well, voters have overwhelmingly decided that the tail has been wagging the dog way too long. Parents are in charge of their children’s education not the government and not Equality Florida. Parents have the primary responsibility for the care and well-being of their children, not the government and not Equality Florida.
Visit momsforliberty.org – a growing national organization.
Their mission statement:
“Moms for Liberty is dedicated to fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.”