Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) signed a bill Wednesday that will require all Florida students to receive anti-communism education in school to highlight the “dangers and evils of Communism.”
According to Spectrum News 13, Senate Bill 1264 will provide “age-appropriate instruction” on the history of communism for all Florida students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The outlet reported that the teachings will cover the “increasing threat” of communism, as well as the “atrocities” committed in the communist movement.
In a Wednesday press release, the governor’s office noted that Senate Bill 1264 was signed into law on the 63rd anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion. The press release explained that the new law will strengthen Florida’s education standards by teaching students about the “dangers and evils of Communism.”
“The truth will set us free,” DeSantis said in Wednesday’s press release. “We will not allow our students to live in ignorance, nor be indoctrinated by Communist apologists in schools. To the contrary, we will ensure students in Florida are taught the truth about the evils and dangers of Communism.”
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During a press conference in Hialeah, Florida, DeSantis said the new law will help the state provide “the proper foundation” for students in education. “We might as well give them the truth when they are in our schools because a lot of these universities… teach how great communism is,” the Florida governor stated.
In addition to requiring Florida schools to teach students about the history of communism, the governor explained that the bill will authorize the Institute for Freedom in the Americas at Miami Dade College to partner with the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom at Florida International University to “promote the importance of economic and individual freedoms.”
According to the governor’s press release, the bill also lays the groundwork for the administration to recommend that state lawmakers create a museum to showcase the history of communism.
Sharing pictures of Wednesday’s bill signing, DeSantis tweeted, “It’s our duty to educate the next generation on the threat communism poses to a free society.”
Addressing the potential benefits of Senate Bill 1264, Florida Education Secretary Manny Diaz Jr. said the new legislation will ensure that Florida students do not “repeat” the history of communism and that the students “understand the evils of communism.”
“It is vitally important that every student learns about the dangers of Communism,” Diaz said in Wednesday’s press release. “I know firsthand the evils that Communism brings, and I am proud to stand by Governor DeSantis as he signs this legislation to ensure Florida remains the bastion of freedom.”
