DeSantis says he’ll sign controversial ‘Parental Rights in Education’ bill

(As originally published with bells and whistles, Tue, March 22nd 2022, 9:57 AM EDT)

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. (CBS12) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he will sign the controversial bill titled “Parental Rights in Education” bill soon.

He made the remark while answering a reporter’s question during a news conference on Tuesday morning where he signed a bill to require Florida high school students take a financial literacy class in order to graduate.

DeSantis said, “It will be relatively soon. I don’t think it’s going to be tomorrow, but I think it’ll be relatively soon.”

The governor spoke at Innovation Preparatory Academy in Wesley Chapel, north of Tampa.

The legislation, labeled the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by critics, states, “Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”

It would also prohibit schools from withholding information about a student’s mental or physical well-being from parents, which critics say would “out” students, plus let parents sue schools for withholding that information.

“If you are out protesting this bill, you are by definition putting yourself in favor of injecting sexual instruction to five, six, and seven year old kids,” the governor said. “I think most people think that’s wrong. I think parents especially think that’s wrong.”

Meanwhile, Walt Disney is finding itself performing a high-wire act of balancing the expectations of a diverse workforce with demands from an increasingly polarized and politicized marketplace.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he’ll sign the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, sounds off on Disney and protesters, March 22, 2022. (Pool)

Some workers across the U.S. have been threatening a walkout to protest of CEO Bob Chapek’s slow response in publicly criticizing the Florida legislation. DeSantis has accused the entertainment conglomerate of being “woke.”

Tuesday morning, he said, “Unfortunately Disney’s leadership bought into a lot of the false narratives.”

The news conference was called to sign the financial literacy bill, which was unanimously approved during the 2022 legislative session. Students entering high-school in the 2023-2024 academic year will have to take a half-credit course in “personal financial literacy and money management.” The financial literacy course would have to cover concepts such as types of bank accounts and how to manage accounts, credit and credit scores, completing loan applications and types of savings and investments.

It was the latest news conference DeSantis held to tout his education policies, along with outgoing Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran.

SEE ALSO: Back to school: COVID-19 policies relaxed in Palm Beach County schools

Monday, at Renaissance Charter School at Wellington, the governor announced he’d be signing a line item in the state budget giving $800 million for teacher pay.

Last Thursday, he signed the bill to replace FSA testing with three progress monitoring tests throughout the school year.

Last Wednesday, he announced $289 million for a variety of education programs.

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