TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The State Board of Education in Florida Wednesday announced new regulations aimed at banning the use of public funds for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, activities, and policies across the 28 state college campuses.
The newly adopted rule defines DEI and expressly prohibits institutions in the Florida College System (FCS) from “utilizing state or federal funds for programs that categorize individuals based on race or sex, specifically for the purpose of providing preferential or differential treatment.”
READ: DeSantis curtails diversity, equity and inclusion programs in Florida state colleges
A statement from the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) emphasized that this decision is a proactive measure to ensure that taxpayer funds are no longer directed toward promoting DEI initiatives within the state’s higher education institutions.
According to the FDOE, the college course “Principles of Sociology” was replaced with a comprehensive general education core course in American History to avoid these issues.
“The aim is to provide students with an accurate and factual account of the nation’s past, rather than exposing them to radical woke ideologies, which had become commonplace in the now-replaced course,” stated the FDOE.
“Higher education must return to its essential foundations of academic integrity and the pursuit of knowledge instead of being corrupted by destructive ideologies,” said Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. “These actions today ensure that we will not spend taxpayers’ money supporting DEI and radical indoctrination that promotes division in our society.”
The State Board of Education has taken steps to support Governor Ron DeSantis’ efforts to target DEI initiatives during his second term.
Gov. DeSantis has consistently emphasized the importance of providing students with a “top-notch education” that is based on seeking truth and is free of what he labels as woke indoctrination.
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In Florida, our higher education institutions will not be spending public dollars on “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” or other initiatives that promote an ideological agenda.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 15, 2023
As practiced, DEI represents discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination — and this has no place in a… pic.twitter.com/6h73tzkd5e
This development follows Gov. DeSantis’s signing of a bill into law last year that eliminated state or federal spending on DEI programs at publicly funded colleges in Florida. Additionally, in 2023, the governor requested public colleges and universities to report their expenditures on DEI programs.
According to reports, colleges have spent millions on such programs.
Florida’s commitment to “unbiased education” has been reflected in the state’s consistently top-ranked higher education system, holding the #1 position in the nation for seven consecutive years according to the U.S. News & World Report.
The impact of these changes on the state’s academic landscape and the broader national discourse on education remains to be seen.
We have seen examples of schools requiring students and professors to commit to DEI and CRT theories before they are admitted or hired at a university – a de facto political loyalty oath.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 15, 2023
DEI can no longer be used as a woke litmus test as a condition of entrance into higher… pic.twitter.com/UArZ7CtIti
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