Document: Getty Images
Yesterday, Governor DeSantis released a mission statement and questionnaire for prospective school board candidates which may be filled out in an effort to seek the endorsement of the Governor. As DeSantis said: The DeSantis Education Agenda is a student-first, parent-centered initiative focused on setting Florida’s children up for success, ensuring parental rights in education, and combatting the woke agenda from infiltrating public schools. This statewide agenda is for school board candidates and school board members who are committed to advancing these priorities at the local school board level. Because of the Governor’s leadership, Florida’s students have thrived. Florida’s public schools now lead the nation and parents are confident they can send their children to school without the threat of woke indoctrination. On that note ten priorities outlined by DeSantis prior to the questionnaire are these: 1. Keep schools open, rejecting lockdowns 2. Educate, don’t indoctrinate 3. Ensure Parental Rights in Education and Keep Woke Gender Ideology Out of Schools 4. Support Robust Civics Education 5. Expand Workforce Development and Technical Education 6. Reject the use of Critical Race Theory in the Curriculum 7. Increase Teacher Pay 8. Continue support for school security and mental health initiatives 9. Protect the right of parents to petition school boards and districts for redress of grievances 10. Guarantee the right of parents to curriculum transparency. And with that the Desantis Education Survey is presented as a questionnaire. DeSantis intends to actively begin endorsing local school board candidates. School board races have traditionally not received the level of attention they deserve given the significance they have in our society. It appears that’s about to change in Florida.