Florida to Strip Licenses of K-3 Teachers Who Discuss Gender Identity, Sexuality And DeSantis Says- Replace Them With Veterans
5 min read
Republican Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida, has an excellent plan to help children in Florida get an excellent education.
DeSantis unveiled a new plan to recruit new teachers, at the same time, the Florida Department of Education plans to revoke or suspend the teaching licenses of elementary school educators who teach students about gender identity or sexuality, according to a new rule.
DeSantis wants to fill teacher vacancies with a Veteran or a First responder who has been fast-tracked to get a teaching certificate and get into the classroom. And the left is freaking out.
The purpose of the new proposed rule is, “The Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession exist to provide ethical guidelines for Florida Educators to practice and be held accountable for if there is a violation of the principles. The Commissioner may pursue disciplinary action against the license of an educator who violates the principles.”
The summary of the new proposed rule is, “The amendment prohibits classroom instruction to students in kindergarten through grade 3 on sexual orientation or gender identity and protects all students by expanding the definition of discrimination to include subjecting students to training or instruction that espouses, promotes, advances, inculcates, or compels any of the concepts listed in Section 1000.05(4)(a), F.S.”
The rule, proposed in August and approved by Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. in September, is intended to enforce a 2021 state law that forbids instruction on gender identity and sexuality for children in kindergarten through third grade. The measure, the Parental Rights in Education Act, or ‘Stop Woke Bill’ is known by opponents as the “don’t say gay” law.
Moms For Liberty hosted DeSantis this past Summer, who talked about the bill, which DeSantis said was drawing a line in the sand, saying that “schools are for teaching kids and not indoctrination them” with the bill.
But the left has been miserable about the move and is really having a temper tantrum about keeping their sexual activity to themselves. Pro-gay teacher’s groups have been vocal, taking their Democrat allies to the street to protest.
The reaction from the left to the new change is not positive.
“The Florida Department of Education has done little to publicize its rule on teachers’ licenses. The rule appeared online around the same time that the state was taking damage from Hurricane Ian, which has left more than 100 dead. News of the rule was first reported Tuesday by the newsletter the Progress Report,” The Washington Post whined, adding:
“The rule states that any teacher who “intentionally provide[s] classroom instruction” to K-3 students on those two topics will face “revocation or suspension of the individual educator’s certificate, or the other penalties as provided by law.”
The 2021 law already requires schools to create a system via which parents can report teacher noncompliance with the law. If a school system does not address a parent’s concerns, the law makes it easy for parents to sue and says the Florida Department of Education can launch an investigation of the district.
The rule on teachers’ licenses resulted in anger and condemnation from LGBTQ advocates.
WAPO reported that Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, executive director of LGBTQ rights group GLSEN , said in a statement Thursday that the Florida rule “will harm LGBTQ+ students, who we know benefit by having supportive teachers and inclusive curriculum in the classroom.”
A spokesman for the education department said in a statement Thursday evening that “it should not be surprising that educators are at risk of having their certificates sanctioned if they violate state law. The proposed amendment will change nothing for teachers who follow the law and are focused on providing high-quality classroom instruction aligned to state academic standards.”
The 2021 law goes beyond elementary schools, also limiting instruction on gender identity and sexuality for higher grades by saying those lessons cannot take place “in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate” for students of any age. The law has been widely criticized by LGBTQ advocates and educators who contend it harms LGBTQ teachers and students. It has led some LGBTQ teachers in the state to leave their jobs.
As word begins to trickle out about the rule on teachers’ licenses, some LGBTQ Florida teachers are feeling alarmed.
Cassandra Oetinger-Kenski, a third-grade language arts teacher in Palm Beach County, said she is horrified, confused and attempting to figure out how this rule will change her ability to teach. Oetinger-Kenski, 38, is married to a woman.
She learned of the rule during a Thursday phone conversation with a reporter. Her attention was caught by the phrase about “intentionally” providing instruction, which she made several efforts to parse.
“If a child asks me about my husband and I say I don’t have a husband, I have a wife, am I then being stripped of my license?” Oetinger-Kenski asked. “Also, in my class I have kids with two dads and two moms.”
The new rule, Oetinger-Kenski said, “forces me to withhold information from my students, to lie. … Heterosexual people aren’t our entire population. That’s not the truth.”
DeSantis plans on recruiting Veterans and First Responders to become teachers and ‘bring their leadership and experience into the classroom’, DeSantis said, which works if they can clean out the schools from the social warrior activist teachers.
Seems like a great plan.
According to media reports, nearly 400 veterans have applied for teaching jobs in Florida using a new pathway created by the legislature and championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, but locally, there haven’t been any hires in two of the biggest school districts.
DeSantis has touted the program in recent months that looks to military veterans to help address the ongoing statewide teacher shortage.
DeSantis signed a bipartisan bill earlier this year that gives a five-year temporary certificate to veterans who have a minimum of four years of active duty military service with an honorable/medical discharge and a minimum of 60 college credits with a 2.5 grade point average.
“We want you to be able to teach Florida students, our veterans have a wealth of knowledge and experience they can bring to bear in the classroom. And with this innovative approach, they will be able to do so for five years with a temporary certification as they work towards their degree,” DeSantis said in August.
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