Q&A of the Day – Florida’s Individual Freedom Act And Educational Freedom 

Today’s entry: What is educational freedom? I’ve heard that term used a few times recently about a lawsuit against one of the new Florida laws without a clear explanation of what it's about.  

Bottom Line: There have been so many high-profile Supreme Court rulings, what’s been overshadowed is an otherwise noteworthy legal challenge to Florida’s recently passed Individual Freedom Act. This is independent of the two Parental Rights in Education laws and is what’s likely behind what you’re referencing. The reason why education has specifically been brought up in relation to this law, which applies to all professional settings in Florida, is due to who is behind the legal challenge. The law bans the teaching and training of the tenants of critical race theory, not just in Florida’s classrooms, but with Florida’s employers generally.  

The challenge was brought by a soon-to-be kindergarten teacher and a diversity training consultant advanced by the leftwing nonprofit Protect Democracy – under the pretense of “educational freedom” - was shut down by a federal judge on Monday. The “education freedom” argument by the teacher is a bastardization of what has historically been a school choice initiative led by parents. This effort has often included the desire by parents to be able to choose schools for their children which specifically reflect their values.  

Florida’s new law takes effect along with most new laws on Friday and the lawsuit sought an injunction to stop it from taking effect. The federal ruling clears the way for the law to be enacted. As for what the law applies to all professional settings – including classrooms... The law states: 

(It is unlawful to) Subject a person, as a condition of employment, to training, instruction, or any other required activity that espouses, promotes, advances, inculcates, or compels such individual to believe any of the following concepts, constitutes discrimination based on race, color, sex, or national origin. Here are the eight specific guidelines under the law which must not be taught or forced onto employees by an employer: 

1. Members of one race, color, sex, or national origin are morally superior to members of another race, color, sex, or national origin.  
2. An individual, by virtue of his or her race, color, sex, or national origin, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.  
3. An individual’s moral character or status as either privileged or oppressed is necessarily determined by his or her race, color, sex, or national origin.  
4. Members of one race, color, sex, or national origin cannot and should not attempt to treat others without respect to race, color, sex, or national origin.  
5. An individual, by virtue of his or her race, color, sex, or national origin, bears responsibility for, or should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment because of, actions committed in the past by other members of the same race, color, sex, or national origin.  
6. An individual, by virtue of his or her race, color, sex, or national origin, should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment to achieve diversity, equity, or inclusion.  
7. An individual, by virtue of his or her race, color, sex, or national origin, bears personal responsibility for and must feel guilt, anguish, or other forms of psychological distress because of actions, in which the individual played no part, committed in the past by other members of the same race, color, sex, or national origin.  
8. Such virtues as merit, excellence, hard work, fairness, neutrality, collectivity, and racial colorblindness are racist or sexist, or were created by members of a particular race, color, sex, or national origin to oppress members of another race, color, sex, or national origin. 

The continued legal challenges to the two Parental Rights in Education laws we’ve passed in Florida, and now Individual Freedom Act in Florida, is an indication of just how desirous the political left is and has been to make use of classrooms and boardrooms to indoctrinate students and employees with a woke ideology. There’s nothing about those eight different tenants of the new law which should be controversial. That they are to some is a clear indication as to why the policy is warranted.  

Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.  

Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com  

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