As of February 19, 2021 there are two pairs of bills to change the required civics education course.
One pair which I’m discussing below:
HB 5 https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=72012&SessionId=90
SB 1450 https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2021/1450
This is the other pair:
SB 146 https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2021/146
HB 611 https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=70926&SessionId=90
It was reported in this article that Ivanka Trump called the people who stormed the Capitol by the term “patriot”
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/30/us/patriot-definition-trnd/index.html
HB 5 and SB 1450 are identical, i.e. they are companion bills for the House and the Senate.
This is what will be added to the Florida Statute 1003.4282 by HB 5:
which must include a comparative discussion of political ideologies, such as communism and totalitarianism, that conflict with the principles of freedom and democracy essential to the founding principles of the United States. This is what will be added to Florida Statute 1003.44--Patriotic programs—by HB 5: 34 (6) To help families, civic institutions, local 35 communities, district school boards, and charter schools prepare 36 students to be civically responsible and knowledgeable adults, 37 the Department of Education shall: 38 (a) Develop or approve an integrated civic education 39 curriculum that school districts and charter schools must 40 incorporate as part of regular school work in kindergarten 41 through grade 12. The civic education curriculum must assist 42 students in developing: 43 1. An understanding of their shared rights and 44 responsibilities as residents of the state and of the founding 45 principles of the United States as described in s. 46 1003.42(2)(a)-(c). 47 2. A sense of civic pride and desire to participate 48 regularly with government at the local, state, and federal 49 levels. 50 3. An understanding of the process for effectively 51 advocating before government bodies and officials. 52 4. An understanding of the civic-minded expectations, 53 developed by the State Board of Education, of an upright and 54 desirable citizenry that recognizes and accepts responsibility 55 for preserving and defending the blessings of liberty inherited 56 from prior generations and secured by the United States 57 Constitution. 58 (b) Curate oral history resources to be used along with the 59 civic education curriculum which provide portraits in patriotism 60 based on the personal stories of diverse individuals who 61 demonstrate civic-minded qualities, including first-person 62 accounts of victims of other nations’ governing philosophies who 63 can compare those philosophies with those of the United States. 64 This paragraph may be cited as the “Portraits in Patriotism 65 Act.” 66 (c) Approve integrated civic education curricula submitted 67 by school districts and charter schools that meet the 68 requirements of this subsection.
I sent this to the bill sponsors of HB 5/SB 1450
Please amend your bill so that 1003.44 applies to all publicly funded schools including schools receiving vouchers authorized by SB 48.
Please amend your bill to make it clear that the courses mentioned in 1003.4282 are required of all students wishing to receive a high school diploma in Florida. There should be no exceptions for any of the certificates that call themselves high school diplomas: http://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/18617/urlt/1819-114025.pdf
I applaud you for including charter schools in your requirements that amend 1003.44 but why didn’t you include all publicly funded schools? Since the majority of the current state legislators seem determined (via SB 48) to give more and more of our taxpayer dollars to private schools and homeschooling parents, you need to consider why you’re mandating something for some publicly funded schools but not for others. What schools did the people that stormed the Capitol go to? What school did Ivanka Trump go to? It was reported that Ivanka Trump tweeted a message calling the people who stormed the Capitol by the term “patriot” and we heard the domestic terrorists inside the Capitol calling themselves patriots in the videos that have been released to the public. Why did they think storming the Capitol was a patriotic thing to do? Your bill should be required of all publicly funded schools. The term patriot is discussed in this article:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/30/us/patriot-definition-trnd/index.html
Is your bill an attempt to make it clear that the people who stormed the Capitol are not patriots, i.e. they are domestic terrorists?Are ALL students who want a standard high school diploma required to take the courses listed at f.s. 1003.4282? Are students who receive taxpayer funded vouchers required to satisfy the requirements of 1003.4282? Link to Florida statute that includes 1003.4282 : http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=1000-1099/1003/1003.html
Here’s how 1003.4282 begins:
(1) TWENTY-FOUR CREDITS REQUIRED.—(a) Beginning with students entering grade 9 in the 2013-2014 school year, receipt of a standard high school diploma requires successful completion of 24 credits, an International Baccalaureate curriculum, or an Advanced International Certificate of Education curriculum.
[and then later it says}
The Department of Education shall directly and through the school districts notify registered private schools of public high school course credit and assessment requirements. Each private school must make this information available to students and their parents so they are aware of public high school graduation requirements.
