Florida Parental Rights in Education Act
| Parental Rights in Education | |
|---|---|
| Florida Legislature | |
| |
| Citation | House Bill 1557 |
| Enacted by | Florida House of Representatives |
| Enacted by | Florida Senate |
| Signed by | Ron DeSantis |
| Signed | March 28, 2022 |
| Commenced | July 1, 2022 |
| Legislative history | |
| First chamber: Florida House of Representatives | |
| Introduced by | Joe Harding |
| Passed | February 24, 2022 |
| Voting summary |
|
| Second chamber: Florida Senate | |
| Member(s) in charge | Dennis Baxley |
| Passed | March 8, 2022 |
| Voting summary |
|
| Status: Unknown | |
The Parental Rights in Education Act (HB 1557), commonly referred to as the Don't Say Gay law, is a Florida statute passed in 2022 that regulates public schools in Florida. The law is most notable for prohibiting public schools from having "classroom discussion" or giving "classroom instruction" about sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through 3rd grade or in a manner deemed to be against state standards in all grades. It also requires that schools disclose to parents if their children have received mental health services via the school.
The legislation was introduced in the Florida House of Representatives by Representatives Joe Harding and Dennis Baxley, and passed the chamber with 68 Republicans and 1 Democrat voting for it, and 40 Democrats and 7 Republicans voting against it. The Florida Senate passed the bill with 22 Republicans voting for it, and 15 Democrats and 2 Republicans voting against it. Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill on March 28, 2022, and the act went into effect on July 1 of that year as part of Florida Statute §1001.42. Its passage has prompted the introduction of various similar laws within other states and the federal government, and Florida legislators have introduced bills expanding the scope of the law. The Florida Board of Education later expanded the ban on teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity to all grades K-12 in April 2023, with the exception of health or reproductive courses.
The bill received support from Republican politicians and conservative organizations. However, the bill has also received widespread backlash, especially from students, who demonstrated against the act throughout Florida by holding walkouts across middle and high schools. Additional organizations who have issued statements against the act include those representing teachers, pediatricians, psychologists, and hundreds of major corporations. The Walt Disney Company opposed the legislation after protests by its employees, leading to a feud between Disney and DeSantis that culminated in the renaming of the Reedy Creek Improvement District and transfer of the power to appoint its board from Disney to the governor of Florida. Conflicting polls have shown public support or public opposition to the act, with support being higher among older generations and opposition being higher among younger generations.
Multiple lawsuits were filed against the act with the support of advocacy groups representing parents and families of LGBT+ children. The groups settled with the state in March 2024, which clarified that the law only restricts the direct teaching of gender identity and sexual orientation in classrooms, while the law allows books and discussions about the LGBT community and LGBT rights between students and teachers.