ORLANDO, Fla. — Shortly after the Florida Senate passed the controversial “Parental Rights in Education” bill on Tuesday afternoon reaction from lawmakers began pouring in on social media.
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State Sen. Dennis Baxley, who sponsored the bill, thanked his fellow senators for helping to “ensure that parental rights do not end at the classroom door.”
Read: Florida Senate passes controversial Parental Rights in Education bill
Not all reactions to the bill’s passage were positive, however.
A tweet from the official White House account said the bill was “designed to attack LGBTQI+ kids.”
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said Florida lawmakers “are prioritizing hateful bills that hurt some of the students most in need.”
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried, who is running for Florida governor, called the bill an “international embarrassment.”
Florida Rep. Anna Eskamani said it is a “sad and scary moment for Floridians, especially our LGBTQ+ kids and their families.”
The measure prohibits students in kindergarten through third grade from being taught about sexual orientation and gender identity.
The bill will now go to the governor’s desk for his signature.
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