Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Wednesday that he was introducing legislation that would allow parents to file lawsuits against schools that teach critical race theory.
The Stop WOKE Act will be the strongest legislation of its kind in the nation and will take on both corporate wokeness and Critical Race Theory, according to a news release from the office of the governor.
In Florida, we are taking a stand against the state-sanctioned racism that is critical race theory. We won't allow Florida tax dollars to be used to teach kids to hate each other.
The bill would give employees, parents, and students a "private right of action" in schools that teach critical race theory and in places that have a hostile work environment due to critical race theory training. Parents who win lawsuits would be able to collect attorneys' fees.
The proposed bill was invoked by the civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
You think about what he stood for. He said he didn't want people to be judged on the color of their skin, but on their character. Some people don't talk about that anymore.
The Recount is December 15, 2021.
Republican politicians often mischaracterize critical race theory and try to make white people feel guilty, and teach students to hate America.
America's history of racism and how it impacts the US today is examined in the decades-old theory.
Critical race theory is a practice. It's an approach to grappling with a history of White supremacy that ignores the idea that the past is irrelevant to the present.
There is little evidence that critical race theory is being taught to kids in school. In announcing the Stop WOKE Act, the office of the governor cited some "national examples of Critical Race Theory" in schools, but none of them occurred in Florida.
The Florida Board of Education banned the teaching of critical race theory in state classrooms in June.
The Stop WOKE Act was criticized by a Florida state lawmaker.
"FFS." Anna Eskamani said that Gov. RonDeSantis should stop creating fake problems and focus on crises in front of us.
The anti-critical race theory is not commonly taught in schools in states where it has been enacted or proposed, according to teachers in those states. The bills could have a chilling effect on education.
Do you have a news tip? Contact the reporter at lamikvs@insider.com.