Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill restricting how race and gender are taught in Florida’s public higher education institutions and banning the use of state and federal funds for diversity programs.
At a ceremony at the New College of Florida in Sarasota, Mr. DeSantis signed into law three bills he said would give students basic skills and prevent the imposition of legitimacy at public universities. This marked the escalation of broad conservative efforts to limit the way schools teach about issues of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Referring to the initialism of “diversity, equity and inclusion,” DeSantis said: “When you see this in action across the country, you might as well think of the DEI as standing for ‘discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination.’ Our public institutions have no place. The bill states that the entire DEI experiment in Florida will end.”
Critics, however, have specifically described the move as follows: Senate Bill 266, censor the teacher And it will be difficult to attract and support diverse people to schools in Florida. Andrew Gossard, president of the United Faculty of Florida, the Florida public university faculty union, called the bill “authoritarian censorship,” in a statement sent to NBC News.
“We believe in the free exchange of ideas of all kinds and reject any effort to control what students learn and what professors have the right to teach,” said Gothard.
A spokeswoman for DeSantis referred a request for comment to the governor’s press conference.
Senate Bill 266, which passed Congress this month, barred state universities from using state or federal funds for programs that promote activity or advocate diversity, equity, and inclusion. It’s becoming
The bill also strengthens the study of Western civilization and, where applicable, directs universities to provide instruction on the history and philosophy of Western civilization, particularly the founding documents. Humanities courses are expected to include selections from Western canon.
The bill would ban basic courses in general education that “distort” historical events or teach “identity politics.” This mandates the Board, whose membership is overwhelmingly appointed by Mr. DeSantis, to review the mission of each agency and update or revise it as it deems necessary. The Board said its review was “based on the theory that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the American system and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequalities. It should include a Directive on “University Programs”. ”
Brandon Wolfe, a spokesman for the anti-discrimination group Equality Florida, said the bill meant “a war on academic freedom.”
“From today’s rostrum, he will encourage academic freedom-minded students to seek educational opportunities elsewhere, seeking out top talent rather than missing the opportunity to create content for right-wing followers. We’ve cemented ourselves as a governor who likes to evict,” Wolfe said. DeSantis.
DeSantis also signed House Bill 931It would prevent universities from requiring prospective students and faculty to pledge allegiance to any “ideology or movement,” including diversity, equity and inclusion.
Together, the three bills will devote millions of dollars to civic education and workforce education efforts. The law is scheduled to come into force on July 1. Local news reports said demonstrators clamored against DeSantis as he signed the bill into law.
new collegeThe organization, which Mr. DeSantis signed into law, was considered a progressive institution before Mr. DeSantis put conservative allies on its board.
First edition issued
