TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Senate Fiscal Policy Committee has approved a bill (SB 1264) aimed at mandating the history of communism in the state’s public school curriculum, beginning as early as kindergarten.
The legislation, if passed, would require the Florida Department of Education to develop educational standards for teaching communism history in the state.
READ: Florida Senate panel approves bill requiring the teaching of Communism History in all public schools
Students in Florida currently receive lessons on communism during high school social studies classes or in seventh-grade civics and government courses. Additionally, a mandatory high school U.S. government class includes 45 minutes of instruction on “Victims of Communism Day,” which covers various communist regimes throughout history.
However, the proposed bill seeks to expand and formalize the teaching of communism history in the state’s schools.
The bill outlines that new standards for communism instruction should be implemented starting in the 2026-2027 school year.
These standards would cover topics such as the “increasing threat of communism in the United States and to our allies through the 20th century” and “economic, industrial, and political events that have preceded and anticipated communist revolutions.” The measure also emphasizes the importance of making these standards “age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate” for students.
READ: History of communism bill draws questions if topics are appropriate for young Florida students
While the bill has received criticism for potentially exposing young students to communism-related lessons and American-biased viewpoints, its sponsor, Jay Collins, R-Tampa, defended it during Tuesday’s committee meeting.
Collins stated, “This will be age-appropriate, and the educational specialists in DOE (the Department of Education) will figure out when and how that’s going to be at an age-appropriate level. This is not an indoctrination attempt.”
A similar bill (HB 1349) awaits consideration by the full House, indicating growing support for incorporating communism history into Florida’s public school curriculum.
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