![]() ![]() The law's text adds that discussion of topics surrounding race, gender, and sexuality should be done "in an objective manner without endorsement of the concepts." The crux of the law, at least in how it will likely be applied in practice, comes with the following phrase: "An individual should not be made to feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race." Steinbaugh said some faculty come away thinking it bans all discussions of race, gender, and sexuality, but that's not the case. However, the law's vagueness makes dissecting it rather difficult. The Stop WOKE Act aims to limit how and what faculty can teach students. "What we want to do is make sure that - despite the efforts of DeSantis - faculty are not silenced and students are not deprived of the highest level of education," he said. Those in the higher education community are bracing for a fight since many professors and other faculty have already voiced intentions to carry on their teachings as they did before.Īndrew Gothard, president of the United Faculty of Florida (UFF), told BestColleges that, as the leader of the state's largest faculty union, he's ready to back those professors up. The law went into effect July 1, making the fall semester the first real test of how it will work in practice. "Whether you are in kindergarten or your final year as a graduate student," Steinbaugh said, "the law says certain concepts are not up for discussion." ![]() ![]() The Stop WOKE Act throws that precedent out the window. Generally, it's been common for states to take a hands-off approach to college coursework since students are presumably adults capable of choosing their own study paths, he said. While many states have implemented "divisive topics" laws recently to restrict what and how K-12 educators may teach, Stop WOKE takes this one step further by extending those restrictions to colleges and universities.Īdam Steinbaugh, an attorney for the watchdog group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), told BestColleges that Florida is the only such state with this far-reaching of a law. There is no place for indoctrination or discrimination in Florida.” “In Florida, we will not let the far-left woke agenda take over our schools and workplaces. “No one should be instructed to feel as if they are not equal or shamed because of their race,” DeSantis said in a statement after signing the bill into law. ![]() Ron DeSantis elevated that battle to higher education institutions in a way that other states haven't with the signing of the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (Stop WOKE) Act. Students at Florida's colleges and universities are walking into a new era of higher education this fall.īut, to the educators BestColleges spoke with, these students are worse off for it.įlorida has been a centerpiece of the so-called "culture wars" that have taken over school board meetings nationwide over the past two years.
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