We need you to attend and testify or submit written opinions to the State Board of Education meeting in Orlando, TOMORROW Wednesday morning at 9am
We need your help to speak out on parents’ rights, educational freedom and transparency right now. The Florida State Board of Education, the governmental agency tasked with implementing and enforcing education policy in Florida, is going to be considering three different administrative rules to strengthen parents’ rights in Florida K-12 public schools this coming Wednesday.
The full State Board of Education is meeting
And taking the testimony of citizens on:
Wednesday, October 19, 2022, at 9:00 am
Caribe Royale Orlando
Grand Sierra Ballroom E
8101 World Center Dr, Orlando, FL 32821
The board’s meeting agenda can be found here: https://www.fldoe.org/
If you are able to attend, please come and speak at the meeting in favor of Items 3, 7, and 10 during the “Action Item” part of the meeting. Items 3, 7, and 10 are several of the Proposed Board Rules. Here are some talking points to use for each:
Item 3 – Parental Notification for Bathrooms, Locker Room, Dressing Rooms – This provision will protect the fundamental rights of K-12 parents to ensure they are fully informed of how bathrooms are designated and how locker rooms, which include dressing rooms, are designated and supervised. In light of the politicized transgender movement, school districts who choose to allow boys to use girls’ restrooms or publicly undress in front of young ladies in the girls’ locker rooms or vice versa must be required to publicly notify parents of such arrangements. Parents must have the knowledge to make the best decisions on keeping their children safe. Transparency must be held as paramount in public education.
Item 7 – Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida – This proposal will authorize the state Education Commissioner to take disciplinary action against the license of an educator who violates state law by providing classroom instruction to students in kindergarten through grade 3 on sexual orientation or gender identity, or who provides instruction promoting the concepts underlying Critical Race Theory to students in any grade. Teachers should focus on the education of students, not political indoctrination, and any teachers who veer from that goal should be held accountable for their violations. Parents must have confidence that the classroom is a place of teaching academics, not pushing political agendas.
Item 10 – Elementary School Website Listing of Library Materials and Reading Lists – This proposal prescribes the format for the posting on the website of each elementary school of materials maintained in elementary school library media centers, found on an elementary school required reading list, or found in an elementary school classroom. This provision is necessary to increase transparency of the library resources available in public libraries for parents and concerned citizens to be able to access. This safeguard will be yet another tool for parents to be able to hold the school districts accountable for what books are in public libraries.
For those people who cannot attend the October 19 meeting in person, but want to provide the SBE with their public comment, they can go to the “State Board Rules Under Review” webpage at: https://web02.fldoe.org/
NOTE: These written comments must be submitted by 12:00 noon on Tuesday, October 18, so that the Board members will receive the comments before the October 19 Board meeting.
Here’s how to leave a public comment for each rule:
1. Find the “Rule Number” and “Rule Title” you want to comment on in the two far-left columns. (Item 3 is Rule # 6A-10.086; Item 7 is Rule # 6A-10.081; Item 10 is Rule # 6A-7.0713)
2. Click on “Submit Comment” in the far-right column for the rule you want to make a comment.
Fill out the form with your name, address, email, and type your comment in the comment box. (See the talking points above for points to address for each action item) Then click “Submit Request.”
Your comment for that Item will then be submitted to the Board. This will allow you to show your support for Action Items 3, 7, and 10 on the Board’s October 19 meeting agenda.
Unfortunately, it appears the opponents of parents’ rights in Florida K-12 schools are mobilizing their forces to speak out against the Board’s intent to protect, make clear, and expand parents’ rights for those with children who attend Florida K-12 public schools. It is important that the State Board of Education hear loudly and clearly from advocates for parents’ rights, student safety, and common sense at Wednesday’s Board meeting. They need to know we support and appreciate their efforts.
