The situation appears to have stemmed from a misunderstanding of a new rule in Florida's Parental Rights and Education law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022.
Author: Isabella Casapao, First Coast News (On Your Side)
Published: March 3, 2024
FLORIDA, USA — Florida officials are clearing up some confusion surrounding a viral tweet showing a Miami-Dade County Public Schools permission slip asking parents if their child can participate in reading a book written by an African American.
The confusion appears to have stemmed from a misunderstanding of Flordia's Parental Rights and Education law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022.
THE QUESTION
Did a Florida school send a permission slip to parents for a Black History Month activity?
THE SOURCES
Parental Rights and Education law
Florida Department of Education
Code Rule 6A-10.085
Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz
The Poynter Institute
THE ANSWER
THE CLAIM
The parent of a first-grade student at Coral Way K-8 Center in Miami took to social media to ask why he "had" to give permission for his child to participate in a Black History Month school activity, where students would participate and listen to an African American author's book.
Shown in an image taken by the parent, Chuck Walter, the permission slip describes the activity as: "Students will participate & listen to a book written by an African American."
The slip also lists a place for "Types of guests that may attend the activity or event," which states: fireman, doctor and artist.
So let's VERIFY.
WHAT WE FOUND
No Florida law, including the Parental Rights in Education law, requires schools to get parental consent to teach Black history or celebrate Black History Month.
Florida officials are condemning the school's actions in asking for permission for what they say is required material.
"African American history is required instruction, Black History Month is required instruction. There's no permission slip required for required instruction," Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz said during a news conference on Feb. 15. "Those permission slips have to do with field trips, extracurricular activities, those kind of activities."
Diaz is referring to the new Code Rule 6A-10.085 of the Parental Rights in Education Bill, which requires schools to get permission from parents before students can participate in field trips, extracurricular activities and other supplemental programs and activities.
The rule does not indicate that Black History or Black History Month must get approval from parents before being taught in a Florida classroom.
A day after the parent's tweet went viral, Diaz made a post on X, formally known as Twitter, saying: "Any school that does that is completely in the wrong."
During the conference, Diaz said: "There was a letter written from the Chairman of the State Board clarifying the issue."
In the letter obtained by First Coast News, State Board of Education Chair Ben Gibson asks the principal of Coral Way K-8 Center to update its school policies to correctly align with Florida law.
"It has come to my attention that your school has a policy that requires parental permission for students to engage in routine curricular activities," Gibson wrote, pointing to the fact the school is the "only school in Florida interpreting the State Board of Education's new rule this way."
"Obviously, it is wrong to interpret the rule to require parental permission for a student to receive ordinary instruction, including on subjects required by state law and Department rule," Gibson adds.
The letter concluded with Gibson asking the school's principal and superintendent to immedietely review the situiation and "take appropriate action."
A spokesperson for Miami-Dade County Public Schools told The Poynter Institute that the permission slips were sent home because the activity involved participation from a guest speaker during a school-authorized education-related activity.
However, the particular, viral permission slip that prompted the response from the board does not indicate guest-related involvement as the main reason for parental consent.
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