A new law in Florida is restricting how schools and businesses can
address the subject of race. Lisa Desjardin has more on the cultural
battles that are playing out in the Sunshine State.
Florida is again in the middle of cultural and political debate as
a law went into effect in the last week, governing some diversity,
training on the job and teaching about race at schools.
Joining me to talk about this and Republican governor Rhonda sentences
overall approach is on a Sabbath. Those covers state politics for
the Miami Herald, first to help out our viewers. Let me cover what
this law does.
This law is called the Stop woke Act, and it essentially codifies
a ban on teaching critical race theory, including the concept of
white privilege in K through 12 schools. It would block businesses
from requiring some kind of diversity and inclusion training and
it would enforce all of that.
Using lawsuits or penalties up to $10,000.
On a what is the practical effect here? What does each side say?
This law will actually do.
So the practical effect is has yet to be seen because we have just
seeing this law go into effect July 1st, But we are seeing a lot
of
Concern really about how it's going to be enforced because this lies
giving a lot of power back to parents in regards to the provisions
that apply to schools. So if a parent feels that their child has
been instructed to feel anguish or discomfort about a conversation
related to
Their race or national origin in the context of what someone else
did in the past, that could potentially trigger lawsuits and impact
change throughout the school district. So it sounds like educators
don't know what the parameters are. Is that right?
That's right. I mean, the law is, you know the law is a lot and and
you can read the specific language that was approved by lawmakers
and signed by the Sanchez. But within that, it's they're pretty broad.
Parameters and guidelines as to what is not allowed, and a lot of
it has concerned teachers because a lot of it has to do with feelings,
right? How do you regulate and determine
Add that a teacher instructed a kid or a student to feel guilt with
discomfort. And so how that is enforced, has yet to be determined
and has yet to play out in court whether there's going to be any
lawsuits, and so that is currently what teachers are.
Lying in terms of what could potentially be in store for them.
Of course, governors. Dissenters has been saying that he's responding
to other concerns concerns from parents and this is part of a series
of proposals that he's laid out about what kids should know, or access,
including transgender care and the gay community.
Restrictions that he has thought should be put in place.
What are the politics of all this? And what exactly do voters in
Florida think of what he's doing? Right? So one thing to know about
the Santis is that seems a pandemic. You has really
Paid a lot of attention to education, and he has really focused on
the so called culture wars and how those have concerned parents and
specifically, and that has really
Caused him to be a national star within with the political right.
And so he's really tapped into the emotions right of these parents
that are more receptive to conservative, Um, culture wars in a way,
and so what we're hearing is that he is remaining steadfast in maintaining
A approach of being the main fighter against quote unquote woke culture
and whether it's higher ad or K through 12, and you know, we're seeing
a lot of that through some of the measures that he's backing and
some of the noise that he's making in press conferences and how he's
advocating and really costing a wave at the national level because
he's becoming such a prominent figure.
In Republican politics that a lot of people are following his lead,
and you have to remember that for the Santis. He's a very strategic
government governor and he's ambitious, and so I know that he's
You know, listening to the base in terms of what he's trying to embrace
and a lot of what we're seeing Right now. It's I think that
In our last 30 seconds or so do you have a sense of what voters think
of this law and what he's doing? Well, I think with anything it depends,
I guess on what voters are talking to write Florida's a pretty diverse
state. It is trending right since the 2020 election, but it is a
very
When it comes to divisive concepts specifically in education. A lot
of it has to do with parents who might be single issue voters because
they care so much about what they're
Children are experiencing firsthand and so it just depends on specific
issues. Fascinating reporting on a CBO's from the Miami Herald. Thank
you so much for joining us.