Discussion on FL "Don't Say Gay" bill

[Lathum]

You get what you pay for I guess.....

[JPhillips]

We had a good experience with Catholic k-8 education, but that kind of message to an adoptive family like ours would have been the last day my daughter attended that school. And I would have publicized that as far and wide as possible.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

Add in that most days our kid says they spend most of their classes listening to music on their phones or talking quietly

I won't say that's completely unique in / around Georgia but I would say that it's pretty ... unusually lax.

Some of the better educations here come from the Catholic K-12s IMO.

edit to add/develop my actual thought & point: I'm 1,000 percent behind private schooling K-12 but if you aren't getting your money's worth, I'd definitely explore alternatives.

[flere-imsaho]

At our last school board meeting our superintendent mentioned (not during the meeting itself) that we continue to get a large number of requests to remove books from our schools (which we, of course, don't do, because we're in Illinois).

I was tempted to ask if I could pen some of those response letters, so that I could write something along the lines of "fuck off, you fucking troglodyte" but I suspect they would have said no.

[miami_fan]

First lawsuit has been settled.

Florida settles lawsuit over parental rights law, will clarify vague wording

Key points from my perspective based on the discussions in this post.

As part of the deal, the Florida Department of Education will send a memorandum to all school districts explaining that the law is not as restrictive as some schools have interpreted it. Among the clarifications, it will note:

The law does not prohibit classroom references to LGBTQ+ people, families or issues, including in literature, discussions with students and academic work such as student essays.

The law requires neutrality and bars classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity of all types, whether heterosexuality, homosexuality or others. It would be impermissible to say one is superior to another.

Because it refers to instruction, the law does not apply to library books that are not being used in class lessons. The state made this point in defending against separate lawsuits challenging library book removals.

The settlement also points out that the law does not prevent teachers from providing lessons about stopping bullying based on gender or sexual orientation, and it does not require the removal of safe space stickers generally associated with protections for LGBTQ+ students, as some districts have done.

It does not prohibit schools from allowing student clubs such as the Gay-Straight Alliance, offering book fairs that include books with LGBTQ+ characters, permitting student performances with LGBTQ+ references, or allowing students to wear clothing that do not conform to perceived gender identity.

Finally, the settlement clarifies that the law does not apply to nonschool personnel, such as parents, family members and guest speakers who are not visiting the school for the purpose of talking about sexual orientation or gender identity. It does not apply to other laws addressing related topics, such as the participation of transgender students on high school girls’ sports teams.

I suspect the highlighted point will be challenged in court at some point when a teacher is fired for saying that they believe heterosexuality is superior to homosexuality.

While I will wait for the memorandum to be released, it seems like all of the "woke" things the law was supposed to prevent will be allowed including the imaginary hordes of kindergarten boys being influenced to dressed in drag.

[Thomkal]

yeah i think all they have left is that homosexuality and others is not superior to heterosexuality. If i understand that part completely they also cannot say heterosexuality is superior either, which is what they so desperately wanted here. So basically almost all of the "woke" stuff they were so worried about they have to let back into schools.



I am trying to remember my high school days when we had a Health class where we discussed things about our body/mental health, not sure if homosexuality was ever talked about. Not sure what/when it is taught about today

[Lathum]

I just asked my daughter who is in 5th grade. She said they only talk about girls bodies and never discuss gay, trans, gender, etc...She is comfortable with these topics because her older brother is gay and we don't pretend like these things don't exist.

[Thomkal]

i've been reading some of the Twitter comments about this now-and because nothing in the language of the law changed, 'woke' lost. never mind the lawsuits that came because they didn't say exactly what is outlawed with this law.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

First lawsuit has been settled.

Thanks for the update and your notes.

While I will wait for the memorandum to be released, it seems like all of the "woke" things the law was supposed to prevent will be allowed including the imaginary hordes of kindergarten boys being influenced to dressed in drag.

We always differed on the meaning of "instruction" in the original bill (at 3rd grade vs the now expanded to 12th). I am glad there is a compromise on what it is or isn't. I'm guessing where it was at only 70% defined, it is now at 90% defined with about 10% of grey, subject to interpretation. But a move in the right direction.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

yeah i think all they have left is that homosexuality and others is not superior to heterosexuality. If i understand that part completely they also cannot say heterosexuality is superior either, which is what they so desperately wanted here. So basically almost all of the "woke" stuff they were so worried about they have to let back into schools.

Yes, you are correct. No specific sexuality is to be seen as being superior to another. The funny part is they still have the same core issue while allowing all the fluff (pun intended).

For example:

- How exactly does the law "not prevent teachers from providing lessons about stopping bullying based on gender or sexual orientation..." but also "bars classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity."? Is providing lessons different that classroom instruction?

- How does the law apply to books that are used for class lessons but does not apply to those same books if they are in the school library or are used for academic work such as student essays?

And this is my favorite.

- Finally, the settlement clarifies that the law does not apply to nonschool personnel, such as parents, family members and guest speakers who are not visiting the school for the purpose of talking about sexual orientation or gender identity.

So if/when Rabbi Morrison and/or Dr. Houry visit the school for career day they are allowed to answer questions about sexual orientation and/or gender identity if asked?

I am trying to remember my high school days when we had a Health class where we discussed things about our body/mental health, not sure if homosexuality was ever talked about. Not sure what/when it is taught about today

How many students in your high school or throughout your K-12 had two openly homosexual moms?

[Ghost Econ]

Sitting in the YMCA parking lot after lightly gyming and now waiting for my daughter's swim practice to finish. Have my windows down cause it's a nice night.

Overhear 2 Dad Bros talking about how Lia Thomas is being stripped of her medals and that if trans people want to exist in sports they should be in the Paralympics. Stunning breadth of intelligence shown in 2 minutes.

[RainMaker]

In totally normal and not weird behavior, the school board setup peep holes so you can watch middle school kids in the bathroom.

At some point we need to realize the call is coming from inside the room.

Bathrooms with a view: Cutting windows into student restrooms is a new level of weird