Palm Beach to DeSantis: ‘Discrimination has no place in this district’
Palm Beach County School Board Members Condemn ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida’s House of Representatives passed the controversial education bill dubbed by critics as “Don’t’ Say Gay” on Feb. 24. This came a day after the Palm Beach County School Board voted unanimously against it at a meeting. On March 8, the bill passed its final Senate Committee and is heading to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has formerly expressed his support for it.
The board, which has been vocal about its disapproval of previous republican backed policies, faced intense scrutiny from parents at their Wednesday night meeting.
The board heard comments and discussed HB 1557/SB1834 officially named “Parental Rights in Education” for over three hours before voting 7–0 to send a letter to the state legislature voicing their concerns.
Emmy Kenny spoke during public comment, commending the board for their solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.
“These bills are going to take away the only safe space that some of these kids have,” Kenny said.
Another parent, Jill Ferrara described herself as a “refugee” from the “tyrannical state of Maryland.” She spoke in disapproval of the school board’s views against HB1557/ SB1834 as well as HB7/SB 148.
“I moved to Florida in search of a better education for my son, protection of my parental rights, as well as our God-given right to individual freedom, but see there is still much work to be done,” Ferrara said.
HB 1557 would affect the curriculum and discussions in grades K-3 or “when not age-appropriate.” Several parents voiced their agreement, stating that school is no place for dialogue about sexual identity.
“They don’t know if they’re a boy or a girl. Will that be helpful when looking for a good-paying career?” Michael LaFay, a parent stated. “They don’t know that Washington crossed the Delaware, but they are well versed in CRT [Critical Race Theory].”
During public comment, students such as Danny Feingold expressed that they identify LGBTQ+ and expressed their experiences of discrimination within the school system.
“Having a teacher, I could openly speak to about these issues made it significantly easier to get through the school day,” said Feingold. “Taking this away from students is taking away an extremely valuable resource.”
Other supporters of “Parental Rights in Education” say that the bills simply allow parents to be more informed about what is being taught in class. But Opponents say it will be a way for schools to out children and do away with open dialogue about self-identity.
Several school board members voiced their support for the proposed letter directly written by the school district to Florida’s legislatures.
“We cannot afford to divide our children,” said Marcia Andrews, District 6 School Board Member. “We’ve had so much personal conversation from Tallahassee to this school board that has been negative toward the children.”
Superintendent Michael Burke read the proposed letter that expressed “displeasure” of the bills’ proposed curriculum changes.
The letter also cited HB7 which the district says compromises teachers’ ability to teach uncensored LGBTQ+ and Black history.
District 2 School Board Member Alexandria Ayala said that the new curriculum changes would create unnecessary work for educators “who do not need another thing on their plate of this nature.”
“This will be incredibly damaging and harmful to our children who we are here to serve, not judge harm, discriminate against, or bully,” Ayala said. “Hate has no place in this district. Discrimination has no place in this district.”
The legislative session ended March 11, and the final vote is likely to come in the next couple of weeks. Governor Ron DeSantis has been vocal about his support for “Don’t Say Gay” in the past, and it is expected that he will vote in favor of “Parental Rights in Education” as well as “Individual Freedom.”
If approved, the law will go into effect on July 1, in time for the 2022–23 school year.
