PARENTAL BILL OF RIGHTS: Palm Beach School Board To

Approving Gov. DeSantis’ “Mandate” Is Not A Sure Thing. Parents, Teachers Ready To Protest — Want “Gay” To Be “Okay.”

BY: STAFF REPORT | BocaNewsNow.com

BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2022 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis continues his crusade to govern schools from Tallahassee, but that doesn’t mean local school boards will go along without a fight. The Palm Beach County School Board is preparing for the
“First Reading” of the ”Parental Bill of Rights” at its meeting on May 4th.

Parents contacting BocaNewsNow.com say they plan to oppose the policy, with several expecting to speak at the meeting. It was not immediately clear if the specific topic would be open for public debate, or if any debate would ultimately be meaningful. As proven during COVID-19, there is little local school boards can do if Florida Governor DeSantis fights them.

But with the Governor’s “Parental Bill of Rights” including the measure known as “Don’t Say Gay,” protests are expected. “Don’t Say Gay” — somewhat of a misnomer — prohibits teachers from discussing sexual identity in Kindergarten, First, and Second Grades. With same-sex parents increasingly common in Palm Beach County, many say anything that prevents teachers from discussing gender identity at any grade level is inappropriate.

BocaNewsNow.com is publishing the policy to be read at the upcoming Palm Beach County School Board meeting. We note there is no specific mention of the “Don’t Say Gay” policy, but those opposed to telling teachers what they can and can not discuss in the classroom say the policy below is “dangerous” and “not needed.”

“Parents shouldn’t be telling teachers what they can teach,” said a South Palm Beach County elementary school parent. “Take the gender identity issues out of the equation. Teachers are professionals. Parents shouldn’t tell them what to do, and certainly the Governor shouldn’t.”

Policy-5.735-Parent-Bill-of-Rights…Development-5.4.22

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