The governor of Florida, Republican Ron DeSantis, signed a bill this Wednesday that will force the state's public schools to teach all students through grade 12 the history of communism, its "growing threat in the United States." and "the atrocities committed in other countries," The Miami Herald reported.
The teachings will begin in the 2026-2027 school year and will be developed by the Department of Education to adapt them to "the age and educational development" of each school grade.
"We have to tell them the truth when they are in our schools because in many universities they will tell them how wonderful communism is," DeSantis said during a press conference at the Hialeah Gardens Museum in Miami, without specifying which universities they will attend. refers and if you really have proof that this is the case.
The governor added that his intention is to ensure that there is "a very accurate understanding
of the human carnage that has resulted from communist regimes
throughout history."
The bill (signed on the 63rd anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion, the last attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro's regime in Cuba) also stipulates creating the Institute for Freedom in the Americas at Miami Dade College to “ preserve the ideals of a free society and promote democracy."
In addition, the new law also provides for a museum on the history of communism: "There are going to be a lot of people who are going to want to see it located in Miami," said DeSantis, referring to the Cuban and Venezuelan communities.
Restrict book ban
DeSantis also signed a rule this Wednesday that restricts objections to books in school libraries to just one book a month for people who do not have children in a given school district, while those who do have children in that district will continue to be free. to challenge them unlimitedly, as reported by NBC News, sister network of Noticias Telemundo.
This new measure by the governor contradicts what DeSantis himself signed in 2022, when he increased public participation to unlimited challenges to books in public libraries across the state, and with additional legislation in 2023 that stipulated more restrictions on teaching about sex and gender.
Questioned about this contradiction, the governor defended past legislation by ensuring that they were necessary so that parents could express their concerns about the books they considered inappropriate for their children, but indicated that they were taken advantage of by those who promote political agendas.
“They are taking advantage of the transparency of the curriculum and trying to use it for political purposes,” he said, “they have opposed normal books, like classic books, to create a narrative.”
This new bill, DeSantis added, “protects schools from activists who try to politicize and disrupt a district's book review process.” Additionally, the governor insisted that Florida is not looking to ban the books.
Voices against book bans
The Florida Freedom to Read
Project, a Florida group that advocates against book bans, said Tuesday in a post on the social
network state, but it could slow it down in certain areas.
For its part, PEN America, another free speech organization that advocates against book bans, released a report Tuesday identifying Florida as the state with the highest number of book bans.
More than 3,000 book bans were recorded in Florida between July and December 2023. Wisconsin had the second highest number during that period, with 481 bans, according to the report, which also stated that between July 2021 and December 2023, More than 5,000 books were banned in Florida.