Many bills have been passed into law by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and will influence how the education system tackles several topics. Several bills and their respective numbers are listed below in no particular order.

By James Grossman

• SB 1834, dubbed the “Parental Rights in Education” bill by the senate, among many other things, aims to prohibit the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity between educators and students. Many have criticized the bill for targeting LGBTQ students who may be struggling with their identity, dubbing it the “don’t say gay” bill and protesting it. Governor DeSantis stated in a conference with Pasco County schools that “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. I think most people think that’s wrong, I think parents especially think that is wrong.” As of now, the bill has been signed into law by Governor DeSantis.
• Under SB 1048, Florida State Assessments (FSA) will be eradicated and be replaced by “progress monitoring,” a method of providing multiple shorter tests throughout a year to more closely “monitor” students’ ability. The bill has been signed by Governor DeSantis into law and will take effect in the 2022-2023 school year.
• SB 1054 introduces a requirement of taking a financial literacy course in high school before graduating. In addition, the bill also reduces the credit requirement in electives from eight to seven and one-half in order to make room for a one-half credit requirement for a course in financial literacy. The bill has been signed into law by Governor DeSantis.