FILE – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gestures during a news conference, Jan. 26, 2023, in Miami (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, File).
A new Florida law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis requires that school districts submit their sex education plans to the state for approval — and now some educators are saying the result amounts to not being able to teach the subject at all.
Currently, state law requires schools to teach reproductive health lessons in grades 6 to 12 that focus primarily on sexual abstinence as the expected standard. Per the statute, districts are required to:
- Teach abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage as the expected standard for all school-age students while teaching the benefits of monogamous heterosexual marriage.
- Emphasize that abstinence from sexual activity is a certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, including acquired immune deficiency syndrome, and other associated health problems.
- Teach that each student has the power to control personal behavior and encourage students to base actions on reasoning, self-esteem, and respect for others.
The Orlando Sentinel reported Monday that a year after one district submitted its plans in accordance with the law, officials from the Florida Department of Education (FDOE), led by a DeSantis appointee, rejected its program and initiated changes via a phone call and without written guidelines or instructions.
Broward County Public Schools told the Sentinel that the FDOE told the district that teachers may not teach teenagers about contraception, show them pictures depicting human reproductive anatomy or discuss topics such as sexual consent and domestic violence. Broward County now has until early October to share its new plan with the FDOE for the 2024-25 school year.
According to the Sentinel, a Broward County document that memorialized the requirements communicated during the FDOE all included provides that “[p]ictures of external sexual/reproductive anatomy should not be included in any grade level.”
Likewise, the memo reportedly said that “[c]ontraceptives are not part of any health or science standard,” and could only be mentioned as a “health resource,” but that “pictures, activities, or demonstrations that illustrate their use should not be included in instruction in any grade level.”
Additionally, the memo reportedly included that “[d]ifferent types of sex (i.e., anal, oral, and vaginal) cannot be part of instruction in any grade level.”
Broward schools have said they plan to comply with Florida’s requirements and “emphasize abstinence” in their lessons.
Furthermore, several other districts have also been forced to abandon their curriculum and instead use a state-approved textbook that focuses on abstinence. Karen Castor Dentel, a member of the Orange County School Board, was quoted by the Sentinel reacting to what she called Florida’s “utterly ridiculous” requirements that further “the state’s obsession with sex and denying our students fact-based information about their bodies, how they work.”
“I think it’s a disservice to this generation, but it’s consistent with what is coming out of Tallahassee these days,” Dentel said.
Prior to the legal requirement that districts have their sex education plans approved by the state, districts have offered additional instruction about puberty, contraception, sexually transmitted infections, and other topics, as approved by local school boards.
In an email to Law&Crime Tuesday, a representative of Broward County Public Schools said the following:
Broward County Public Schools will offer comprehensive health education this year, fully complying with state laws and regulations, in cooperation with the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE). Our curriculum will emphasize abstinence and provide comprehensive health education to help students make informed, healthy decisions. Once the state approves, the school board will be notified and may request a vote. While advisory groups have expressed concerns about changes to the curriculum, we will adhere to state law and FLDOE rules. The current review results from the changes in the 2023 legislative session and the state’s ongoing process, which may require further revisions to meet updated requirements.
DeSantis’ change in sex education laws is in line with the Republican governor’s other educational initiatives, including the “Don’t Say Gay” law and the Stop WOKE Act — both of which restrict what teachers can say in classrooms.
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