Danger Ahead for the “Parents Rights” Movement

Given the current political divide and his ambitions to be the next Republican presidential candidate it should not be surprising that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has said he supports what has been called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill going through the state House of Representatives. Not surprising, no, but disgusting, yes.

One notices in “Parental Rights in Education,” a portion of the bill reads “A school district may not encourage classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not age appropriate…” While the idea of age appropriateness does not sound objectionable on its face, who determines that? And, according to the bill, elementary school kids would not be told that some students have two moms or two dads? Because in reality, some of them do. 

Many states have banned the teaching of “Critical Race Theory,” an approach to teaching racial injustice, despite the fact that almost no K-12 teachers were even doing so. 

This wave to give parents greater authority over what schools teach is not exclusive to Florida, nor to this issue. The conservative “parent’s rights” movement is arguing that parents have a right to control school curriculum. Many states have banned the teaching of “Critical Race Theory,” an approach to teaching racial injustice, despite the fact that almost no K-12 teachers were even doing so.