Florida Extends Ban on Teaching Gender Identity and Sexuality in Public Schools

The Florida Board of Education has expanded restrictions on classroom instruction related to sexual orientation and gender identity, prohibiting instruction on these topics for students in pre-kindergarten through Grade 3 and limiting it for Grades 4 through 12 unless expressly required by state academic standards or part of a reproductive health course or health lesson. Critics argue that the rule would make it impossible to do much instruction at all, while supporters argue that there is no reason for instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity to be part of K-12 public education.