Florida to expand classroom protections from gender identity instruction

Florida Senate Republicans on Wednesday approved a bill that would prohibit classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools through eighth grade. The measure builds on the Parental Rights in Education Act that was passed last year and prohibits gender identity instruction through third grade. The new bill also protects students and teachers from being required to refer to people by pronouns that don’t correspond to their biological sex. Florida House Representatives already passed the legislation. Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to sign it into law. The law would take effect on July 1.

What other measures were passed by the legislature? The Florida House on Wednesday approved a Senate bill that would prohibit colleges from spending state and federal funds on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. The bill would also allow university boards to review tenured professors’ performance in certain cases.

Dig deeper: Read my report in Schooled about how lawmakers are working to protect parental rights in schools.