Summary

A controversial new law went into effect in Florida this week. Coined by opponents as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, it forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity for kindergarten through third grade. But those who oppose the bill say it doesn't protect parents, it just harms children. The law prohibits “a school district from encouraging classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grades” and encourages parents to sue schools they believe violated the measure. Directions :

• To watch the feature story, click the video above.


• Or skim the segments from the latest NewsHour by clicking on the image below, and choose the story that works best for your class. Discussion questions follow.

 

Five Facts

• Who signed the so-called 'Don't Say Gay' bill into law this week? (The actual name of the law is "Parental Rights in Education.")


• What does the new law say? See this Miami Herald article for an easier layout.


• Where was the bill passed?


• When did Florida's House first file the bill? Every state has a bill tracker website. Click here to find out when the bill was first filed.


• Why did lawmakers support the bill? What did lawmakers who voted against the bill say? Rep. Joe Harding, the Republican who introduced the bill, said it was about improving the quality of life for Florida's children and "empowering parents." Do you agree? Why or why not?


• How do you think the new law will affect educators? Students? See this article about students protesting the bill.

Media literacy:

1. Why do you think John Yang emphasized the words "both sides" when he said "For more on both sides of this new law that's caused national controversy, Ana Ceballos, a state government reporter from The Miami Herald."?


2. Why do you think Governor De Santis is pictured with students from the charter school Classical Preparatory School in the cover photo?
   
   
   
   
   • The website of the school reads: "The heart of classical education is the liberal arts curriculum. The word liberal derives from the Latin liber , meaning 'free.' The classical educational model reflects the education of freedom and a free person. It presents students with a rich and varied array of content and an introduction to the history of human thought and great ideas."
     
     
     
     
     • Ask students : How does the new law support the concept of a "free" and "rich and varied array of content"?
     
     
     • Are your state lawmakers thinking about introducing a similar bill? What are some steps you can take to find out?
     
     
     
     
   
   
   
   

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If you chose another story, answer this set of questions:

• Who are some of the individuals or groups of people mentioned in the news summary?


• What stories are covered?


• Where do some of the stories take place?


• When did those stories occur?


• Why did the event(s) take place?


• How do you think the NewsHour’s producers decided which stories made it into the news summary?

Media literacy : Who else do you think should have been interviewed in the story you watched?

Focus Questions

See, Think, Wonder : What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What did it make you wonder?

For More

3. Take a look at President Biden's tweet. Ask students : Why do you think the White House chose to weigh in on this bill? https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1491186973511458818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1491186973511458818%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fweartv.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fdont-say-gay-bills-passes-florida-senate-headed-to-governors-desk 4. Watch this interview conducted by Student Reporting Labs with Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona about LGBTQ+ student rights:

Links

Transcript