Tallahassee U.S. District Judge Mark Walker said in a 44-page ruling that the Stop WOKE Act violates the First Amendment and is impermissibly vague. Walker also declined to issue a stay that would have kept the law in place during any appeal by the state. The law targets what DeSantis called a “pernicious” ideology exemplified by critical race theory — the idea that racism is systemic in US institutions that serve to perpetuate white supremacy in society. Walker said the law, as applied to business diversity, inclusion and bias training, subverts the First Amendment because the state prohibits speech by prohibiting discussion of certain concepts in training programs. “If Florida truly believes we live in a post-racial society, then let it plead its case,” the judge wrote. “But she can’t win the argument by silencing her opponents.” The governor’s office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. DeSantis has repeatedly said that any lower-court losses on his priorities are likely to be reversed by appeals courts that are generally more conservative. The law prohibits teaching or business practices that argue that members of an ethnic group are inherently racist and should feel guilty for past actions committed by others. It also rules out the idea that a person’s status as privileged or oppressed is necessarily determined by their race or gender, or that discrimination is acceptable to achieve diversity. Thursday’s ruling came in one of three lawsuits challenging the Stop WOKE Act. It was filed by private entities, Clearwater-based Honeyfund.com and others, alleging that their free speech rights are limited because the law violates company training programs that emphasize diversity, inclusion, eliminating bias and preventing harassment in the workplace. Companies with 15 or more employees could face civil lawsuits for such practices. That lawsuit says Honeyfund seeks to protect the rights of private employers to “engage in an open and free exchange of information with employees to identify and begin to address discrimination and harm” in their organizations. Another lawsuit, filed Thursday by college professors and students, claims the law amounts to “racially motivated censorship” that will act to “stifle widespread demands to debate, study and address systemic inequities” highlighted by the national debate on race following the killing of George Floyd, who was black, by Minneapolis police in May 2020. “Instead of free and open academic inquiry and debate, educators are afraid to discuss issues of oppression, privilege, and racial and gender inequities with which the Legislature disagrees,” the lawsuit states. “As a result, students are either completely denied access to knowledge or educators are forced to present incomplete or inaccurate information directed toward the Legislature’s own views.”
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Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s start. Explore all your options Conservatives see critical race theory less as an academic inquiry into truth and history and more as the imposition of a divisive ideology stemming from Marxism that classifies people into the categories of oppressor and oppressed based on their race. Like the teachers, a group of K-12 teachers and a student claim in a third pending lawsuit that the law violates the Constitution’s protections for free speech, academic freedom and access to information in public schools. “The Stop WOKE Act aims to promote the government’s preferred narrative of history and society and render illegal speech that challenges that narrative,” the lawsuit states. DeSantis is running for re-election as governor this year and is widely seen as a contender for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024. He has made cultural issues a cornerstone of his administration, particularly eliminating what he calls “woke” entities and issue-centered philosophies discrimination based on race, gender and sexual orientation. “What you’re seeing now with the rise of this vigilante ideology is an attempt to really delegitimize our history and delegitimize our institutions, and I think of vigilantism as a form of cultural Marxism,” DeSantis said in a speech in December 2021 . “They really want to tear at the fabric of our society.” Another example of this is DeSantis’ attempt to punish Walt Disney World for the company’s opposition to the Parental Rights in Education Act, labeled by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law because it restricts the teaching of gender orientation in first classes and casual conversations. of the issue as a whole in schools. The governor pushed the Legislature to end Disney World’s special independent district that essentially allowed it to run its own private government. That law doesn’t take full effect until June 2023, but it’s already been challenged in court. Other lawsuits have challenged DeSantis’ priorities, including a ban on abortions after 15 weeks, a measure to fine tech companies if they “pay off” political candidates for their views, an “anti-riot” law that creates new felonies after protests of Black Lives Matter and a law that places new restrictions on elections. — By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press • • •
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title: “Federal Judge Blocks Florida Stop Woke Act Pushed By Desantis Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-08” author: “Sandra Tucker”
Tallahassee U.S. District Judge Mark Walker said in a 44-page ruling that the Stop WOKE Act violates the First Amendment and is impermissibly vague. Walker also declined to issue a stay that would have kept the law in place during any appeal by the state. The law targets what DeSantis called a “pernicious” ideology exemplified by critical race theory — the idea that racism is systemic in US institutions that serve to perpetuate white supremacy in society. Walker said the law, as applied to business diversity, inclusion and bias training, subverts the First Amendment because the state prohibits speech by prohibiting discussion of certain concepts in training programs. “If Florida truly believes we live in a post-racial society, then let it plead its case,” the judge wrote. “But she can’t win the argument by silencing her opponents.” The governor’s office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. DeSantis has repeatedly said that any lower-court losses on his priorities are likely to be reversed by appeals courts that are generally more conservative. The law prohibits teaching or business practices that argue that members of an ethnic group are inherently racist and should feel guilty for past actions committed by others. It also rules out the idea that a person’s status as privileged or oppressed is necessarily determined by their race or gender, or that discrimination is acceptable to achieve diversity. Thursday’s ruling came in one of three lawsuits challenging the Stop WOKE Act. It was filed by private entities, Clearwater-based Honeyfund.com and others, alleging that their free speech rights are limited because the law violates company training programs that emphasize diversity, inclusion, eliminating bias and preventing harassment in the workplace. Companies with 15 or more employees could face civil lawsuits for such practices. That lawsuit says Honeyfund seeks to protect the rights of private employers to “engage in an open and free exchange of information with employees to identify and begin to address discrimination and harm” in their organizations. Another lawsuit, filed Thursday by college professors and students, claims the law amounts to “racially motivated censorship” that will act to “stifle widespread demands to debate, study and address systemic inequities” highlighted by the national debate on race following the killing of George Floyd, who was black, by Minneapolis police in May 2020. “Instead of free and open academic inquiry and debate, educators are afraid to discuss issues of oppression, privilege, and racial and gender inequities with which the Legislature disagrees,” the lawsuit states. “As a result, students are either completely denied access to knowledge or educators are forced to present incomplete or inaccurate information directed toward the Legislature’s own views.”
Keep track of what’s happening in Tampa Bay schools
Sign up for the free Gradebook newsletter We’ll break down the local and state education developments you need to know every Thursday.
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Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s start. Explore all your options Conservatives see critical race theory less as an academic inquiry into truth and history and more as the imposition of a divisive ideology stemming from Marxism that classifies people into the categories of oppressor and oppressed based on their race. Like the teachers, a group of K-12 teachers and a student claim in a third pending lawsuit that the law violates the Constitution’s protections for free speech, academic freedom and access to information in public schools. “The Stop WOKE Act aims to promote the government’s preferred narrative of history and society and render illegal speech that challenges that narrative,” the lawsuit states. DeSantis is running for re-election as governor this year and is widely seen as a contender for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024. He has made cultural issues a cornerstone of his administration, particularly eliminating what he calls “woke” entities and issue-centered philosophies discrimination based on race, gender and sexual orientation. “What you’re seeing now with the rise of this vigilante ideology is an attempt to really delegitimize our history and delegitimize our institutions, and I think of vigilantism as a form of cultural Marxism,” DeSantis said in a speech in December 2021 . “They really want to tear at the fabric of our society.” Another example of this is DeSantis’ attempt to punish Walt Disney World for the company’s opposition to the Parental Rights in Education Act, labeled by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law because it restricts the teaching of gender orientation in first classes and casual conversations. of the issue as a whole in schools. The governor pushed the Legislature to end Disney World’s special independent district that essentially allowed it to run its own private government. That law doesn’t take full effect until June 2023, but it’s already been challenged in court. Other lawsuits have challenged DeSantis’ priorities, including a ban on abortions after 15 weeks, a measure to fine tech companies if they “pay off” political candidates for their views, an “anti-riot” law that creates new felonies after protests of Black Lives Matter and a law that places new restrictions on elections. — By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press • • •
Sign up for the Gradebook newsletter!
Every Thursday, you get the latest updates on what’s happening in Tampa Bay area schools Times education reporter Jeffrey S. Solochek; Click here to register.
title: “Federal Judge Blocks Florida Stop Woke Act Pushed By Desantis Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-14” author: “Connie Fitzgerald”
Tallahassee U.S. District Judge Mark Walker said in a 44-page ruling that the Stop WOKE Act violates the First Amendment and is impermissibly vague. Walker also declined to issue a stay that would have kept the law in place during any appeal by the state. The law targets what DeSantis called a “pernicious” ideology exemplified by critical race theory — the idea that racism is systemic in US institutions that serve to perpetuate white supremacy in society. Walker said the law, as applied to business diversity, inclusion and bias training, subverts the First Amendment because the state prohibits speech by prohibiting discussion of certain concepts in training programs. “If Florida truly believes we live in a post-racial society, then let it plead its case,” the judge wrote. “But she can’t win the argument by silencing her opponents.” The governor’s office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. DeSantis has repeatedly said that any lower-court losses on his priorities are likely to be reversed by appeals courts that are generally more conservative. The law prohibits teaching or business practices that argue that members of an ethnic group are inherently racist and should feel guilty for past actions committed by others. It also rules out the idea that a person’s status as privileged or oppressed is necessarily determined by their race or gender, or that discrimination is acceptable to achieve diversity. Thursday’s ruling came in one of three lawsuits challenging the Stop WOKE Act. It was filed by private entities, Clearwater-based Honeyfund.com and others, alleging that their free speech rights are limited because the law violates company training programs that emphasize diversity, inclusion, eliminating bias and preventing harassment in the workplace. Companies with 15 or more employees could face civil lawsuits for such practices. That lawsuit says Honeyfund seeks to protect the rights of private employers to “engage in an open and free exchange of information with employees to identify and begin to address discrimination and harm” in their organizations. Another lawsuit, filed Thursday by college professors and students, claims the law amounts to “racially motivated censorship” that will act to “stifle widespread demands to debate, study and address systemic inequities” highlighted by the national debate on race following the killing of George Floyd, who was black, by Minneapolis police in May 2020. “Instead of free and open academic inquiry and debate, educators are afraid to discuss issues of oppression, privilege, and racial and gender inequities with which the Legislature disagrees,” the lawsuit states. “As a result, students are either completely denied access to knowledge or educators are forced to present incomplete or inaccurate information directed toward the Legislature’s own views.”
Keep track of what’s happening in Tampa Bay schools
Sign up for the free Gradebook newsletter We’ll break down the local and state education developments you need to know every Thursday.
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Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s start. Explore all your options Conservatives see critical race theory less as an academic inquiry into truth and history and more as the imposition of a divisive ideology stemming from Marxism that classifies people into the categories of oppressor and oppressed based on their race. Like the teachers, a group of K-12 teachers and a student claim in a third pending lawsuit that the law violates the Constitution’s protections for free speech, academic freedom and access to information in public schools. “The Stop WOKE Act aims to promote the government’s preferred narrative of history and society and render illegal speech that challenges that narrative,” the lawsuit states. DeSantis is running for re-election as governor this year and is widely seen as a contender for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024. He has made cultural issues a cornerstone of his administration, particularly eliminating what he calls “woke” entities and issue-centered philosophies discrimination based on race, gender and sexual orientation. “What you’re seeing now with the rise of this vigilante ideology is an attempt to really delegitimize our history and delegitimize our institutions, and I think of vigilantism as a form of cultural Marxism,” DeSantis said in a speech in December 2021 . “They really want to tear at the fabric of our society.” Another example of this is DeSantis’ attempt to punish Walt Disney World for the company’s opposition to the Parental Rights in Education Act, labeled by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law because it restricts the teaching of gender orientation in first classes and casual conversations. of the issue as a whole in schools. The governor pushed the Legislature to end Disney World’s special independent district that essentially allowed it to run its own private government. That law doesn’t take full effect until June 2023, but it’s already been challenged in court. Other lawsuits have challenged DeSantis’ priorities, including a ban on abortions after 15 weeks, a measure to fine tech companies if they “pay off” political candidates for their views, an “anti-riot” law that creates new felonies after protests of Black Lives Matter and a law that places new restrictions on elections. — By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press • • •
Sign up for the Gradebook newsletter!
Every Thursday, you get the latest updates on what’s happening in Tampa Bay area schools Times education reporter Jeffrey S. Solochek; Click here to register.
title: “Federal Judge Blocks Florida Stop Woke Act Pushed By Desantis Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-18” author: “Donna Sutherland”
Tallahassee U.S. District Judge Mark Walker said in a 44-page ruling that the Stop WOKE Act violates the First Amendment and is impermissibly vague. Walker also declined to issue a stay that would have kept the law in place during any appeal by the state. The law targets what DeSantis called a “pernicious” ideology exemplified by critical race theory — the idea that racism is systemic in US institutions that serve to perpetuate white supremacy in society. Walker said the law, as applied to business diversity, inclusion and bias training, subverts the First Amendment because the state prohibits speech by prohibiting discussion of certain concepts in training programs. “If Florida truly believes we live in a post-racial society, then let it plead its case,” the judge wrote. “But she can’t win the argument by silencing her opponents.” The governor’s office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. DeSantis has repeatedly said that any lower-court losses on his priorities are likely to be reversed by appeals courts that are generally more conservative. The law prohibits teaching or business practices that argue that members of an ethnic group are inherently racist and should feel guilty for past actions committed by others. It also rules out the idea that a person’s status as privileged or oppressed is necessarily determined by their race or gender, or that discrimination is acceptable to achieve diversity. Thursday’s ruling came in one of three lawsuits challenging the Stop WOKE Act. It was filed by private entities, Clearwater-based Honeyfund.com and others, alleging that their free speech rights are limited because the law violates company training programs that emphasize diversity, inclusion, eliminating bias and preventing harassment in the workplace. Companies with 15 or more employees could face civil lawsuits for such practices. That lawsuit says Honeyfund seeks to protect the rights of private employers to “engage in an open and free exchange of information with employees to identify and begin to address discrimination and harm” in their organizations. Another lawsuit, filed Thursday by college professors and students, claims the law amounts to “racially motivated censorship” that will act to “stifle widespread demands to debate, study and address systemic inequities” highlighted by the national debate on race following the killing of George Floyd, who was black, by Minneapolis police in May 2020. “Instead of free and open academic inquiry and debate, educators are afraid to discuss issues of oppression, privilege, and racial and gender inequities with which the Legislature disagrees,” the lawsuit states. “As a result, students are either completely denied access to knowledge or educators are forced to present incomplete or inaccurate information directed toward the Legislature’s own views.”
Keep track of what’s happening in Tampa Bay schools
Sign up for the free Gradebook newsletter We’ll break down the local and state education developments you need to know every Thursday.
You are all registered!
Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s start. Explore all your options Conservatives see critical race theory less as an academic inquiry into truth and history and more as the imposition of a divisive ideology stemming from Marxism that classifies people into the categories of oppressor and oppressed based on their race. Like the teachers, a group of K-12 teachers and a student claim in a third pending lawsuit that the law violates the Constitution’s protections for free speech, academic freedom and access to information in public schools. “The Stop WOKE Act aims to promote the government’s preferred narrative of history and society and render illegal speech that challenges that narrative,” the lawsuit states. DeSantis is running for re-election as governor this year and is widely seen as a contender for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024. He has made cultural issues a cornerstone of his administration, particularly eliminating what he calls “woke” entities and issue-centered philosophies discrimination based on race, gender and sexual orientation. “What you’re seeing now with the rise of this vigilante ideology is an attempt to really delegitimize our history and delegitimize our institutions, and I think of vigilantism as a form of cultural Marxism,” DeSantis said in a speech in December 2021 . “They really want to tear at the fabric of our society.” Another example of this is DeSantis’ attempt to punish Walt Disney World for the company’s opposition to the Parental Rights in Education Act, labeled by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law because it restricts the teaching of gender orientation in first classes and casual conversations. of the issue as a whole in schools. The governor pushed the Legislature to end Disney World’s special independent district that essentially allowed it to run its own private government. That law doesn’t take full effect until June 2023, but it’s already been challenged in court. Other lawsuits have challenged DeSantis’ priorities, including a ban on abortions after 15 weeks, a measure to fine tech companies if they “pay off” political candidates for their views, an “anti-riot” law that creates new felonies after protests of Black Lives Matter and a law that places new restrictions on elections. — By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press • • •
Sign up for the Gradebook newsletter!
Every Thursday, you get the latest updates on what’s happening in Tampa Bay area schools Times education reporter Jeffrey S. Solochek; Click here to register.
