As Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' law takes effect, schools roll out ...

As Florida's Parental Rights in Education law — or what critics have dubbed the “Don't Say Gay” law — goes into effect Friday, ... IE11isnotsupported.Foranoptimalexperiencevisitoursiteonanotherbrowser.SKIPTOCONTENTNBCNewsLogoPoliticsPlanYourVoteU.S.NewsOpinionBusinessWorldCovidShare&Save —SearchSearchFacebookTwitterEmailSMSPrintWhatsappRedditPocketFlipboardPinterestLinkedinMyNewsManageProfileEmailPreferencesSignOutFloridateachersexpressconcernoverso-calledDon'tSayGaylaw01:48LinkcopiedJune30,2022,5:18PMUTCByMattLavietesAsFlorida’sParentalRightsinEducationlaw—orwhatcriticshavedubbedthe“Don’tSayGay”law— goesintoeffectFriday,someofthestate’spublicschooldistrictshavebegunrollingoutnewpoliciestolimitLGBTQissuesandidentitiesfrombeingdiscussedintheclassroom.OnTuesdaynight,theLeonCountySchoolBoardunanimouslyapprovedits“LGBTQInclusiveSchoolGuide,”whichincludesaprovisiontoalertparentsifastudentwhois“openabouttheirgenderidentity”isintheirchild’sphysicaleducationclassorwiththemonanovernightschooltrip.“Uponnotificationordeterminationofastudentwhoisopenabouttheirgenderidentity,parentsoftheaffectedstudentswillbenotifiedofreasonableaccommodationoptionsavailable,”theguidelinesread.“Parentsorstudentswhohaveconcernsaboutroomingassignmentsfortheirstudent’supcomingovernighteventbasedonreligiousorprivacyconcernsmayrequestanaccommodation.”RepresentativesoftheOrangeCountyClassroomTeachersAssociationaccusedschoolofficialsMondayofverballywarningeducatorsnottowearrainbowarticlesofclothingandtoremovepicturesoftheirsame-sexspousesfromtheirdesksandLGBTQsafespacestickersfromclassroomdoors.Thedistrict’slegaldepartmentconfirmedinastatementprovidedtotheteachers’association,whichcoverstheOrlandoarea,thatstaffmemberswhocomeintocontactwithstudentsinkindergartenthroughthirdgradewerecautionedaboutLGBTQissues.Andlatelastmonth,theSchoolDistrictofPalmBeachCountysentoutaquestionnaireaskingitsteacherstoreviewallcoursematerialandflaganybookswithreferencestosexualorientation,genderidentityorrace,saidaPalmBeachCountyhighschoolspecialeducationteacher,MichaelWoods.Severalweekspreviously,thedistrictremovedtwobooks—“IAmJazz”and“CallMeMax”—thattouchupongenderidentity,hesaid.Gov.RonDeSantissignstheParentalRightsinEducationbillatClassicalPreparatorySchoolinShadyHills,Fla.onMarch28.DouglasR.Clifford/APfileTheso-calledDon’tSayGaylaw,HB1557,bans“instruction”aboutsexualorientationorgenderidentity“inkindergartenthroughgrade3orinamannerthatisnotageappropriateordevelopmentallyappropriateforstudentsinaccordancewithstatestandards.”Aprovisioninthelawalsorequiresschoolstaffmemberstoalertparentsabout“criticaldecisionsaffectingastudent’smental,emotional,orphysicalhealthorwell-being,”whichmanyadvocateshaveinterpretedasawaytoforceeducatorstoouttheirgayortransstudents.Whenteachers“believethatdisclosurewouldresultinabuse,abandonment,orneglect,”theyareexemptfromdoingso.Legislatorswhosupportthemeasure—whichGov.RonDeSantis,aRepublican, signedinMarch—haverepeatedlystressedthatitwillapplyonlytochildreninkindergartenthroughthirdgradeandthatitisaboutgivingparentsmorejurisdictionovertheiryoungchildren’seducation.TheyhavealsocontendedthatitwillnotprohibitteachersandstudentsfromtalkingabouttheirLGBTQfamiliesorbarclassroomdiscussionsaboutLGBTQhistory,includingeventslikethe2016attackatthePulsegaynightclubinOrlando.ButcriticsandlegalexpertshavesaidthebroadlanguageofthelawcouldopenschooldistrictsandteacherstolawsuitsfromparentswhobelieveanyconversationaboutLGBTQpeopleorissuesis“notageappropriate.”(Parentswillbeabletosueschooldistrictsforallegedviolations,damagesorlegalfees.)ThestateEducationDepartmentisexpectedtoreleasemoreinformationabouttheparametersofitsstandardslaterthissummer.InaninterviewinAprilwithFoxNewshostLauraIngraham,DeSantissuggestedthestandardswouldapplythelawbeyondthirdgradeandaddedthat“thingslikewokegenderideologyhavenoplaceintheschools,period.” StateRep.CarlosSmith,aDemocratwhoisgayandhasbeenanoutspokencriticofthenewlaw,saidhewas“notsurprised”thatschoolsinthestatewereannouncingthepoliciesandguidelines.“Wetalkedaboutthisfromthebeginning,”hesaid.“What’shappeningrightnow—withthecensorshipofrainbowflagsandschooldistrictspreparingtobasicallypushLGBTQstudentsandteachersintothecloset—isexactlywhatwesaidwouldhappenwiththe‘Don’tSayGay’law.”AskedwhetherDeSantiswantedtorespondtoschooldistricts’newguidelinesonLGBTQissuesthatappeartosupersedetheparametersofthenewlaw,hispresssecretary,ChristinaPushaw,saidtheEducationDepartmentisresponsibleforworkingwithschooldistrictstoimplementpolicies.“Thisisnotsomethingthegovernorhimselfdoes,”shewroteinanemail.InanemailtoNBCNews,AlexLanfranconi,thedirectorofcommunicationsfortheFloridaDepartmentofEducation,said"accusationsregardingtheimplementation"ofthenewlaware"fakenews.""It’snosurprisethatactivistsandteachers’unionsarecreatingafalsenarrativetosowconfusionamongthepublic,"Lanfranconisaid."HB1557prohibitsclassroominstructiononsexualorientationandgenderidentityinGradesK-3."MembersandsupportersoftheLGBTQcommunityatthe"SayGayAnyway"rallyinMiamiBeach,Fla.,onMarch13.ChandanKhanna/AFPviaGettyImagesfileFiveotherstates—allofthemintheSouth—haveenactedlawsthatlimitinstructionordiscussionsaboutLGBTQpeopleorissuesinschool,andatleast32othershaveproposedsuchmeasuresthisyear,accordingtoaccordingtotheMovementAdvancementProject,anLGBTQthinktankthathasbeentrackingthebills.Smithstressedthatthepolicieswillhaveconsequencesforlesbian,gay,bisexual,transgenderandqueerstudents,pointingtothedisproportionatelyhighratesofsuicideattemptsamongthecountry’sLGBTQyouths.AsurveythisyearbytheTrevorProject,anLGBTQyouthsuicidepreventionandcrisisinterventionorganization,foundthatnearly50%ofthe35,000LGBTQyouthssurveyedsaidtheyseriouslyconsideredsuicidewithinthelastyear.“CreatingsafespacesforLGBTQkidsinschoolsisamatteroflifeordeath,”Smithsaid.“RonDeSantisiscreatingtoxicenvironmentsinourclassroomsthatcanhavedevastatingconsequencesforqueeryouth,andhedoesnotcare.It’sallaboutpoliticsforhim.”InaletteraddressedtotheOrangeCountyClassroomTeachersAssociation,thedistrict’sgeneralcounselclaimedthatanumberofstatementsaboutwhattheParentalRightsinEducationlawwouldprohibitarenotaccurate,includingaclaimthat“safespacestickerswillberemovedfromclassroomdoors.”However,theletterthensaysitis“recommendedthatthesafespacestickersberemovedfromK-3classroomssothatclassroominstructiondidnotinadvertentlyoccurontheprohibitedcontentofsexualorientationorgenderidentity.”   “Outofonesideoftheirmouth,they’resayingit’snotaccurate,andoutoftheotherside,they’resaying,‘Yeah,youmightwanttobecareful,’”saidClintonMcCracken,thepresident-electoftheOrangeCountyClassroomTeachersAssociation.Heexpressedoverallfrustrationwiththenewlawandsaidhisdistrict’sattempttoclarifythelegislationcreatedevenmoreconfusion. “So,whichisit?AreteachersinKthrough8supposedtogobackintothecloset,accordingtoourlegalteam?Oraretheyallowedtoactlikeeveryotherheterosexualteacherwhohasapictureofaspouseontheirdesk?”InPalmBeachCounty,Woods,whoisgay,saidthataftertheyreceivedthequestionnairefromschoolofficialstoflagcoursematerialorbookswithLGBTQreferences,manyofhiscolleaguesarenervousthey’llbereprimandediftheymisssomething.“I’vehadcolleaguessaytome,‘Well,I’mjustgoingtopackallofmybooksawayandnothaveanyoutatall,’”hesaid.“Thatsoundslikeaknee-jerkreaction,butwhenyou’reinthatsituation,it’sjustonemorestressorthatyou’regoingtoputonyourself.Andisthatreallythehillyouwanttodieon?”SomeLGBTQteachersinschooldistrictswhereguidelineshaveyettobeissuedareevenlesssureofwhattheycanorcannotsayandwearnextschoolyear. BrianKerekesteachesmathatahighschoolinOsceolaCounty,whichhasyettoissueguidanceforcomplyingwiththenewlaw.Withoutguidelinesinplace,heworriesthatmistakesareboundtohappen.Recently,hesaid,astafferwasaskedtoremovea“genderbreadperson”—ananimateddiagramusedtoteachchildrenaboutgenderidentity—fromhisoffice.“We’rejustcaughtinthemiddletryingtofigureoutwhatisandisn’tOKwhilestilltryingtodowhatisourprimaryfunction,whichissupportingourstudentsandgivingthemasafespacetolearn,”hesaid.“It’sgoingtobeamess.”Kerekessaidhealsoexpectsschoolthatdistrictswillstartlettinggoofteacherswhoareaccusedofviolatingthelaweveniftheyarefoundtohavedonenothingwrong.Hepointedtothefactthatallofthestate’spublicschoolteachersarehiredonayear-to-yearcontractualbasisandthatthelawprohibitsschooldistrictsfromrecoupinglegalfeesincasestheywin.“Evenifaninvestigationturnsouttobebogus,aprincipalcouldstilldecidethatitjustisn’tworthhavingtheteacheraroundanymoreandjustdropthem,”hesaid.“Ijustworrythatwe’regoingtobespendingourtimeonnonissuesinsteadofdoingourjobs.”Follow NBCOut on Twitter, Facebook & InstagramMattLavietesMattLavietesisareporterforNBCOut.