ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — In front of a packed house in Orlando Wednesday, the Florida Board of Education approved several new controversial rules that will impact students and teachers across the state.
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The changes will not only impact what children learn in K-12 schools, but how they interact with their teachers.
The new standards align board rules with state law signed last year. They ban teachers and staff from telling students their personal pronouns or asking students about their preferred pronouns.
Another change outlines what can be taught about slavery, segregation and oppression.
Supporters are celebrating the decision, while others say the state is muzzling speech about race and making things in the classroom even harder for teachers.
The new standards outline what students can be taught in kindergarten through high school about slavery, segregation and oppression.
“We’re improving standards that already existed in the state of Florida,” Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr. said.
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Board members argue they’re factual and objective, while some teachers said they ignore important parts of history.
The state board also approved a big update to their principles of professional conduct. Teachers are no longer allowed to address a student by pronouns that are not associated with their biological sex.
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If a teacher doesn’t follow the rules, their teaching license could be suspended.
People against the big changes listed off other things they said the State Board of Education could be doing, like fixing reading levels for students or addressing the teacher shortage.
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