Florida

Our Amicus Brief Against Florida's Stop WOKE Act

by Amna Khalid and Jeffrey Aaron Snyder

"The Supreme Court’s rejection of affirmative action in college admissions will provoke widespread debate. But not in the classrooms of Florida’s public colleges and universities, because the Stop WOKE Act prohibits it."

The Next Culture War Battle? College Accreditation

by Jeffrey Sachs and Jeremy C. Young

Officials in Florida and elsewhere are seeking to overthrow established relationships with accrediting bodies because those organizations help to shield universities against political censorship and interference with teaching and learning. 

New College Visiting Prof. Out of Job—Rufo's Public Remarks Suggest Politics the Motive

Erik Wallenberg wrote a critical commentary about the ideological reordering of their campus. His contract renewal was then declined. Trustee Christopher Rufo's tweets seem to affirm that the nonrenewal was ideologically motivated. Wallenberg speaks out. 

DEI Bans are Tools for Seizing Control of Universities

Legislation in Florida and Ohio don't simply ban diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs; they infringe on the prerogatives of colleges to govern themselves without political influence. 

Scholars Stage Teach-in on Racism in DeSantis's Back Yard

Yohuru Williams and the Institute for Common Power, directed by Terry Anne Scott, convened a 24-hour teach-in in St. Petersburg to draw attention to the connections between inclusive history lessons and functioning democracy. 

Massachusetts-Based Historians: Book Bans in Florida Affect Us, Too

Kellie Carter Jackson and Kerri Greenidge explain how the push to restrict books and teaching on racism in Florida will affect teaching even in blue states. 

AAUP: Fight Tooth and Nail Against Florida's Higher Ed Agenda Because Your State is Next

Historian Henry Reichman, one of the preliminary report's authors, said the committee studying Florida's higher ed system under Ron DeSantis found abuses of academic freedom and institutional regulations to be more widespread than they expected, and warned more political interference is coming. 

Historian Don Yacovone: Florida's Restrictions Echo the Demands to Teach Pro-Slavery Argument

Jamelle Bouie's newsletter puts the current Florida controversy in light of a previous era's political demands about the teaching of history to justify one group's domination of another. 

CA's Newsom Demands Info on Florida Textbook Revisions

“You don’t get to rewrite history in a back room. You don’t get to erase basic facts around segregation, the holocaust, or Rosa Parks’ story. The extremists in Florida and textbook companies that are colluding with them are about to be exposed.”

New College Faculty Vote to Censure College's New Trustees

The censure motion, which was supported by 80% of the faculty, called the new majority of the Board of Trustees negligent in its fiduciary duty to the college because of noncompliance with transparency laws, failure to disclose financial conflicts of interest, and disregard for procedure in reviewing tenure applications. 

I'm Headed to Florida to Teach-In Against DeSantis's Education Policies

by Kellie Carter Jackson

This May 17 saw a 24-hour teach-in by historians in St. Petersburg, Florida, to protest the restrictions on curriculum, books and ideas pushed by Governor Ron DeSantis and his allies. As a historian of abolition, the author stresses that denying people the pen may influence them to pick up the sword. 

Meet the Other Grassroots Moms Movement—The One Fighting For the Freedom to Read

Jen Cousins of the Florida Freedom to Read Project won't let the right claim the political mantle of "parents' rights" in increasingly contentious education politics. 

Florida's Book Banners Face New Opposition—and Their Lawyers

While there is a groundswell of opposition to book removal policies and other restrictions on educational content, it remains to be seen whether Democratic politicians will commit to defending the importance of public education in a multicultural democracy. 

Florida Just Banned Everything I Teach

by William Horne

Black historians during the Jim Crow era observed that the history taught in schools justified slavery, segregation, and lynching. A professor thinks that's where Ron DeSantis's vision of history is headed. Some politicians may think curriculum is a winning issue, but students and society will lose. 

DeSantis Signs Bill Giving Legislature Oversight of Invited Campus Speakers

The concept of an oversight office to guarantee "intellectual diversity" has a long lineage on the right. Florida is the first state to require campuses to create those offices and require compliance and oversight. 

Florida Rejects Social Studies Topics on Communism, "Taking a Knee"

by Valerie Strauss

After rejecting more than 80 percent of proposed materials for K-12 social studies courses, Florida accepted many revised materials but still rejected 35 percent. Topics refused? Social justice in the Hebrew Bible, national anthem protests, and prosperous countries with socialist economies. 

Florida Senate Rejects DeSantis Pick for New College Trustee Board

Eddie Speir, whose prior experience in education was running a private K-12 religious school, was rejected by the Florida Senate after having participated in board meetings at the New College of Florida as an interim Trustee. What distinguishes Speir from Governor Ron DeSantis's other appointees? 

Florida History Professor's Nonprofit will Distribute Banned Books

"We will not allow DeSantis to kill our history," says Marvin Dunn. "We just won't allow it. We will take our history directly to the parents if that's what's required, and apparently, it is what is required."

How an Accreditor Became a Political Target

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools used to keep a low profile while verifying the academic integrity of schools in their region. But their region includes Texas and Florida. 

Statehouse Assaults on Tenure and Diversity are Impacting Hiring at State Universities

"In Florida, some candidates’ concerns are so profound that they’re turning down job offers in the state — despite not having other offers, said Andrew Gothard, president of the United Faculty of Florida, a union representing faculty at all 12 of the state’s public universities, a private one, and community colleges."