TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — Florida’s public universities are purging the list of general education courses they will offer next year to fall in line with a state law pushed for by Gov. Ron DeSantis targeting “woke ideologies” in higher education.
These decisions, in many cases being driven by the university system’s Board of Governors, have the potential to affect faculty and thousands of students across the state. Hundreds of courses are slated to become electives after previously counting toward graduation requirements, which university professors and free speech advocates fear is just the first step toward those classes disappearing entirely.
The state’s involvement in a curriculum process — which has historically been left to universities — is riling academics and students who oppose how officials are using new authority to weed out courses like Anthropology of Race & Ethnicity, Sociology […]
As a Floridian and former teacher, I have watched what DeSantis has done to Florida education as well as climate change, and other areas that have harmed this state. Unfortunately, Florida now has one million more Republicans than Democrats and they seem to be controlling everything. There is no question in most people’s minds that DeSantis is a fascist through and through. He has forbidden the use of “climate change” in any state publications. He has worked to weaponize education to his own philosophical beliefs, encouraged banning of books, and pushed the legislature to pass really restrictive laws on public dissent with jail time! He personally developed a voting district that prevented a Black candidate from being able to win! It is so sad what has happened to my state that it has become an embarrassment. DeSantis has placed nearly all very conservatives justices on our State Supreme Court, so the cards are definitely stacked against bringing Florida back into a more democratic state. Thank goodness he has only two years left and, hopefully, Floridians will realize the dire state we are in and elect someone who is more moderate and who actually believes in democracy!