On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis introduced a bill that would ban critical race theory curriculum from all classrooms in the state.
During a press conference, DeSantis said The Stop Wrongs Against Our Kids and Employees (WOKE) Act would allow parents to file lawsuits against a school district if they suspect CRT is being taught.
The bill would also recover attorney fees “when they prevail”, he explained.
“No taxpayer dollars should be used to teach our kids to hate our country or hate each other,” DeSantis said. “Our legislation will defund any money for K-12 going to CRT consultants”.
DeSantis explained that lawsuits put people in an “uncomfortable position” compared to fines. “I think that gives parents the ability to go in and ensure that our state standards are being followed,” he said.
In addition, the bill would allow teachers to push back against “unlawful mandates from their elected district leadership”.
Employees will also be able to protect themselves from “corporate wokeness”, like critical race theory training. “We must protect Florida workers against the hostile work environment that is created when large corporations force their employees to endure CRT-inspired ‘training’ and indoctrination,” DeSantis stated.
DeSantis mentioned MLK, saying “he didn’t want people judged on the color of their skin but on the content of their character – you listen to some of these people nowadays, they don’t talk about that”.
Earlier this year, DeSantis had called on Florida’s Department of Education to ban the teaching of critical race theory.
