Midterm elections in Florida took place on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. This year’s campaigns for governor, state superintendent, state boards of education, and local school boards have all been spurred this year by discussions on how schools should teach children about topics like gender, sexuality, and race while keeping a safe learning environment.
Conservative candidates frequently do this by advocating their views on parental rights, school choice, and limitations on how those subjects are taught and handled in the classroom. In contrast, liberal candidates are more likely to support causes like raising teacher salaries, improving student mental health services, and supporting LGBTQ+ students.
The formation, choice, and control of the curriculum, instructional strategies, and materials used in schools are all highly influenced by the states.
“We end up making mistakes that could’ve been changed if we knew what was going on and who supported which beliefs. For example, as high school students we should be on high alert for anything mentioned about gun control. ” continued Hernandez
Two weeks after a deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, revived discussions about gun violence and securing schools, Governor DeSantis signed a law that will mandate mental health “crisis intervention” training for on-campus officers,
The regulations also stipulate that all emergency drills be carried out yearly, at the very least.
During active-assailant emergency exercises, law enforcement officers who are tasked with protecting schools from events like school shootings must be “physically present on campus and immediately involved.”
Ryan Petty, a member of the State Board of Education whose daughter, Alaina, died in the 2016 Parkland high school shooting praised the bill’s provisions requiring officer training and extending the school-safety commission.
While Christ believes assault weapons should be banned, background checks for all gun purchases, including private ones, should remain priorities.
“From Parkland to Pulse, the plague of gun violence has rocked our state and torn Florida’s families and communities apart. We need to take action,” said Charlie Crist, one of the governor candidates, during his election campaign.
“I think that during drills, students commonly wonder about the possibility that it might actually happen and how we would react then. No student or parent can ever completely feel secure since there is a persistent awareness that this is an issue that could arise at any time,” commented Sophia Mora, a sophomore in the Cambridge Academy.
“There isn’t much we can do to protect ourselves in that circumstance, there is a sense of impending anxiety even if it isn’t always at the forefront of our thoughts while learning,” said Mora.
DeSantis also recently signed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill where teachers are prohibited from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity with children in kindergarten through grade three, or doing so in a way that is not developmentally or age-appropriate for those students.
“‘Don’t Say Gay’ is a heinous piece of legislation that silences teachers in their own classrooms and takes away the safe spaces of millions of LGBTQ students who may have nowhere else to turn,” Crist said at the “Say Gay” panel discussion in Orlando.
Each state is required by its constitution to provide a system of schools where children can acquire an education. Additionally, several state constitutions specifically mention the creation of a curriculum. Even the choice of textbooks and instructional materials is granted by several state constitutions.
State governments may also enact legislation in this area, or they may give power to the authority to establish, pick, and regulate curriculum, in addition to their constitutional responsibility.
“Elections are important to get your voice heard. Those you support will have your best interest in mind. It is important to vote, as it highlights the issues that you believe are important and think should be fought…Someone can say how much they care about an issue, but without their vote, their voice is void,” said Whitney Souffrant, a senior in the Health Academy.
“Voting is the most effective way to fight for what you support and want to see around your community.”
