Florida Schools Roll Out New LGBTQ+ Policies as Parental Rights in Education Bill Takes Effect

Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill went into effect on Friday, permitting public schools across the state to roll out new policies for teaching LGBTQ+ topics in the classroom.

The Leon County school board on Tuesday approved a living document called the "LGBTQ Inclusive School Guide," which ruled that parents will be notified if a student who is "open about their gender identity" is in their child's physical education class or attending an overnight school trip with them. Meanwhile, Orange County Public Schools stated earlier this week that they would impose "strict restrictions on classroom behavior." Some measures include banning school staff members from wearing rainbow articles of clothing, discouraging elementary school teachers from specifically discussing same-sex relationships, requiring teachers to tell parents if a student "comes out" to them and enforcing the use of gender pronouns assigned at birth.

The Parental Rights in Education bill and the subsequent policies being passed by public schools have spawned debates about censorship and biased news coverage. Left-rated outlets were more likely to accentuate how outing LGBTQ+ students to their parents and communities can be harmful and paints children as "sex offenders that require warnings." Conversely, right-rated coverage highlighted how the Parental Rights in Education bill has enabled schools to remove "blatant LGBT propaganda" and that most voters support "anti-groomer laws." Some reports debunked the widespread story that K-3 teachers in Orange County were being barred from displaying images of same-sex marriages.