SARASOTA, Fla. — At Selby Five Points Park in Sarasota Friday, dozens of people from the community, different generations and several groups all called for change.
The groups said they’re unhappy with new laws that restrict what can and can’t be talked about or taught in schools.
"That ranges from everything from making sure that the LGBTQ+ students are safe in school to making sure that African American history and African American studies are taught in schools," said Lola DeAscentiis.
They’re changes like the recently expanded Parental Rights in Education Act which is known by critics as the "Don’t Say Gay" law.
After a state board of education vote earlier in the week, the law now bans the “intentional classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity” for kids in grades 4 through 12 unless the lesson is part of a “health class” or “expressly required by state academic standards.”
It already banned that instruction altogether for grades K-3.
And it’s a change that state education leaders and some parents say is necessary.
“It’s not changing anything— all it’s saying is that you are complying with our standards— and that’s what you should be teaching," said the Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz.
“Everybody has the right to control the upbringing and the emotional well being, and age-appropriate content that their children are exposed to," said Jessica Graham with the group Moms for Liberty.
Back in Sarasota, we learn that one of the organizing groups, walkout 2 learn, will also be offering education of their own.
"We've been working with the creators of the AP African American studies curriculum and we will be hosting our own free course over the summer," said DeAscentiis.
This comes after the state board of education rejected a new AP African American studies course rolled out by College Board earlier this year.
The board of education later vowed to review the course after it was tweaked by the College Board to see if follows state law.
But those who gathered Friday told us they’re making a vow of their own—to continue organizing.
"For everyone, one person that contributes, you become a group, then you become an activist and then you become a community. So, it starts with one and ends with many," said community activist Christopher Covelli.
