As students and teachers return to the classroom, we share the concerns of many of our members — parents, teachers, students and business and community leaders — about the direction that education is taking in Florida.
Since our founding 100 years ago, Florida PTA has advocated passionately on behalf of all children and youth. Our successes have included measures to grant universal access to kindergarten; strengthen child labor laws; mandate school lunches, bicycle helmets and seat belts; guarantee elementary school recess; enact juvenile justice reforms; and require parental notification of school site Baker Act implementation. Year after year, we have stressed the importance of providing equitable, welcoming and inspiring learning environments for all students.
Today, Florida students’ access to just such environments is no longer assured, thanks to recently enacted legislation and administrative rules whose genesis may have been well-intentioned, but whose ambiguous wording has led to disruption and despair. Too many students have been left without teachers and support staff, too many school districts without experienced superintendents, too many public schools without stable funding, and too many school libraries and classrooms without a comprehensive and rich complement of books and other instructional materials.
Across Florida, the morale of teachers and support staff has plummeted, and current vacancies are estimated at 8,000 and 6,000, respectively. Of Florida’s 67 school districts, at least 45 have replaced their superintendent within the last three years. Meanwhile, amid news that upward of 350,000 state-funded K-12 scholarships have already been awarded, school districts are anxiously awaiting the student enrollment counts that will determine what and who can be funded. And let us not forget that in school after school, targeted books have been preemptively removed from shelves or relocated beyond the reach of students who might find enjoyment, inspiration and enlightenment in them.
Florida has justifiably expressed pride in recent years over its national rankings in education, as determined by a number of entities that grade states competitively. To the extent, however, that such rankings are determined largely, if not exclusively, by student test performance is to miss an important point about the value of education, particularly public education. Students are more than test scores, and what they absorb in the classroom affects their potential for personal growth, their ability to function in an ever-changing global society, and their competence as citizens in a democratic nation.
Of what good are No. 1 national rankings to a third-grader searching in vain in her school media center for a copy of “Arthur’s Birthday,” currently challenged in at least one Florida district? Of what use are such honors to a high school sophomore, first in his family to plan on attending college, but barred from taking the new AP African American History course he hopes to add to his schedule because its content has been branded as too “woke”? Of what benefit are national accolades to the high school senior seeking to boost her college admission chances and save on tuition by enrolling in AP Psychology, only to see her district decline to offer the class for fear that course instructors will face sanctions for teaching it as it has long been taught? What advantage does such recognition provide for the LGBTQ+ student whose very identity is erased from instructional materials, and who is left bereft of teacher, staff and even peer support?
Florida stands at a crossroads, as increasing numbers of students, parents, teachers and communities find themselves personally impacted by new laws and administrative rules whose provisions give credence to the shrillest of voices and the most fanciful of assumptions. The concept of parental rights has been misconstrued so as to allow some parents to claim, without justification, that they speak for the majority.
Enough is enough. We must put our state back on course by clarifying, amending or repealing policies that work against the best interests of students and that limit their ability to grow, thrive and prosper. It is Florida PTA’s mission to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. Let us all join together to meet this challenge.
Carolyn Nelson-Goedert is president of the Florida PTA.