Because of Florida's new law, schools are now second-guessing themselves on what is appropriate and what is not in a school setting due to Florida's new Parental Rights in Education Act, disparagingly referred to as Don't Say Gay Bill by opponents. So when Rachel Long tried to schedule her yearly presentation to teach elementary students about Hanukkah something was different. And whether or not the kids at Longleaf Elementary get their potato pancakes this year is still up in the air. No word yet on whether Kwanzaa and Diwali have become verboten.
h/t Daniel Uhlfelder for the title.
Source: WTFS
PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Rachel Long has been going to her kids' schools for years to give a Hanukkah presentation to students.
It involves reading books about the holiday, games and food.
“I’ve never had one complaint and the kids always love potato pancakes because it tastes like hash browns,” said Long.
But this year, a teacher at Longleaf Elementary in Pasco County told her that a Hanukkah presentation isn’t part of 5th-grade standards and under the new Parental Bill of Rights in Education law, they are obligated to follow those standards.
The law was signed by Governor Ron Desantis in March.
“I’ve been doing it all these years and it’s never been an issue,” said Long.
I reached out to the Governor’s office and a spokesperson said, “the Parental Rights in Education law absolutely does not restrict the ability of teachers, school staff or volunteers to discuss Hanukkah. This law prohibits classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in Grades K-3.”
But because the law is new, educators around the state may be apprehensive about what exactly it covers.
This reticence was expressed by Pasco Schools Public Information Officer Stephen Hegarty this way:
“The Parents’ Bill of Rights is new, and even though it does not affect a lot of things, it affects some things, and everybody wants to make sure they’re doing the right thing,” he said. “They’re trying to be careful.”
Yes, because we all must be extra careful when states dip their toes in Fascism, don't we?
