TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Board of Education said Wednesday it has implemented "strict regulations" limiting the use of public funds for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs, activities, and policies in the Florida College System.
The new rule defines DEI as “any program, campus activity, or policy that classifies individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation and promotes differential or preferential treatment of individuals on the basis of such classification.”
It bans schools within the Florida College System from using state or federal funds for programs related to DEI. It also prohibits the 28 schools within the system — including Hillsborough Community College and St. Petersburg College — from "promoting or engaging in political or social activism."
It defines political or social activism as "any activity organized with a purpose of effecting or preventing change to a government policy, action, or function, or any activity intended to achieve a desired result related to social issues, where the institution endorses or promotes a position in communications, advertisements, programs, or campus activities."
“Like the governor said in his State of the State address, DEI, in practice, stands for Discrimination Exclusion and Indoctrination, and it has no place in Florida," Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. said during a Wednesday meeting. “Students should be focused on learning the truth about our country instead of being radicalized by woke ideologies in our college classrooms.”
Additionally, the board of education approve a rule-change replacing the general education core course "Principles of Sociology" with American History.
“Taking out Sociology really allows us to focus more with that new American History course on those foundational principles — the breadth of American history," explained Kathy Hebda, the chancellor of the Florida College System.
Jasmine Burney-Clark, the founder of Equal Ground, sees the changes as a radical step with a very slippery slope.
“It is incredibly hard to see this implementation process move forward, " she said.
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Yvette Lewis, the President of Hillsborough County’s NAACP chapter, says DEI should be encouraged, not villainized.
“It’s nothing against white people," she said. "It’s everything for everyone.”
The rule change does include exemptions for student-led organizations and for college “access” programs, such as programs for veterans, low-income families, and first generation college students.
The news comes as the state continues to battle teachers leaving the profession and the state. The Florida Department of Education estimates the teacher shortage starting next year to be around 10,000 in the state of Florida.
