On Friday, Florida’s so-called Don’t Say Gay law will go into effect.
School districts across the state are scrambling to establish guidelines for their teachers and staff.
One example of the gray areas in the law played out at a South Florida school.
What has been dubbed as Empowerment Day took place back in April at the Coral Gables Congregational Church during a school day. Even one of the school board members attended.
Held usually at the end of the school year, members of the Gay Straight Alliance got together with students.
“This year we had a hostess who was a drag queen,” said Scott Galvin, Executive Director of Safe Schools South Florida.
Apparently that did not sit well with administrators at Miami-Dade County Public Schools who told organizers to get rid of the drag queen or shut down the event.
“Where do we draw the line then?” Galvin said. “If it’s a trans emcee next year, will you say no because of Don’t Say Gay? What about rainbow flags, are we allowed to show those?”
The event did take place, with the drag queen, and an agreement that the school district would not promote the event even though Miami-Dade high school students attended.
The Miami-Dade school district said:
“…the District felt as though the essence of the event had shifted with entertainment as a primary focus. M-DCPS personnel attempted to address some of these concerns; however, an agreement could not be reached.”
This all happened less than a month after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Parental Rights Law, dubbed by critics as Dont Say Gay.
“The supporters of this bill have done a masterful job of making people think that it’s just grade K through three, but it’s actually open to being applied at all levels,” Galvin said.
Critics say it is a prime example of the flaws in the law, which states:
“Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate…”
It’s something that does not sit well with Galvin.
“Since our school systems are not coming out yet and saying here is where we stand on this issue…they’re all being silent,” he said. “What it’s doing is leaving the law open for interpretation by mid-level staff members.”
Miami-Dade County Public Schools sent Local 10 News a statement regarding how they are enforcing the law, which read:
“Miami-Dade County Public Schools received guidance from the Department of Education on House Bill 1557, Parental Rights in Education (HB 1557). The District is currently developing guidance for both teachers and administrators to ensure compliance with HB 1557. As is customary with all legislative actions, guidance will be provided through several mechanisms, including professional development opportunities, and communication with school sites.”
The Broward County school district also sent Local 10 News a statement on the same topic:
“Broward County Public Schools received guidance from the Florida Department of Education on June 6, 2022, and is developing processes and training tools to implement the requirements outlined in House Bill 1557.”
BELOW- Memo sent by Florida Department of Education to state school district superintendents:
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