State Board of Education attempts to clarify implementation of new Parental Rights in Education law

What is an appropriate age for kids when it comes to learning about gender and sexual identities? That is a question that the State Board of education will have to clarify now that the Parental Rights in Education bill, known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, has become law.

State education leaders gathered at the Collier County Public Schools’ headquarters on Wednesday to discuss a myriad of topics. WINK News reporter Jennifer Morejon wanted to know what age-appropriate gender identity and sexual orientation discussions mean, as in what is age-appropriate for a fourth-grader versus a ninth-grader. The education leaders that WINK spoke to said they aren’t entirely sure how they’ll map out what is age-appropriate.

But, they only have until August to figure it out. On Wednesday, the State Board of Education held its board meeting in North Naples.

So, Morejon was able to ask the Florida Commissioner of Education, Richard Corcoran, how the board will create its guidelines and whole will be able to offer input.

“It gives the department now to go back and look at…whether it’s counseling, health or different standards and create those guidelines, so there’s a clear delineation of what’s acceptable and what’s not. Whether it’s rewriting our standards, whether it’s doing a new curriculum, the department works with teachers, we work with parents, work with everybody to make sure we get a great product for the kids,” said Commissioner Corcoran.

So Morejon asked, “And the LGBT community, are they going to be involved in that too?”

“They are involved in the legislative process. We don’t ask. But yes, we have all kinds of folks involved in helping us without question. Where there are many minds, there are great products,” Corcoran said.

Corcoran says the controversy around the “Don’t Say Gay” law is a false narrative. He said the bill was designed to give parents a say in their kids’ education.