Florida Senate bill would allow parents to pull kids out of class for lessons they object to

Reporter: Andryanna Sheppard
Published: Updated:
Flag of Florida. Photo via Wikipedia.
Florida state flag.

The Florida Senate is considering a bill that allows parents to pull their kids out of the classroom if they disagree with what is being taught.

It is called the Parent’s Bill of Rights and it is clearly a divisive issue. It is also one Rep. Sen. Kelli Stargel supports. She introduced the bill.

“What this bill is stating is the parent does have the right to know what’s in the files,” Stargel said. “What’s going on with the school education. What the instruction material. The medical side of it. What’s going on in the medical file.”

Not only would the bill allow parents to pull their child out of any class if they do not agree with what is being taught, schools would also have to disclose important information to parents about their child if they ask.

“This is not a huge departure from current law,” Stargel said. “It’s just stating it very clearly all in one section of law what the parent rights actually are.”

For now, discussions have been temporarily postponed. If the bill moves forward and the governor signs it, the legislation would go into effect on July 1.

Still, Equality Florida calls the bill vague, especially for LGBTQ students.

“The bill’s requirement that data and information about young people be disclosed can cause real harm to that young person,” said Joe Saunders, the senior political director of Equality Florida. “We think is a major flaw in the bill.”

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