Florida bans social media on school district devices

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed four education bills into law, including one that introduced eight-year term limits for school board members. Another law gives teachers more control over how students use electronic devices and social media at school. The legislation requires schools to block access to social media on school Wi-Fi and directs the state Department of Education to develop a social media safety curriculum. The laws take effect July 1.

What do the other two laws do? One of the laws allows students to take a new classical learning test instead of the SAT or ACT to qualify for the state’s Bright Futures scholarships. Another bans teacher’s unions from automatically withdrawing dues from their members’ paychecks, instead requiring teachers to pay dues manually. Florida Education Association organizer Frank Peterman told the Florida Times-Union the law was “a direct attack on unions and working-class families.”
Dig deeper: Read my report in Schooled about how lawmakers are working to protect parental rights in schools.