Florida House Approves ‘Parental Rights in Education’ Bill

Restricts classroom discussion on sexual orientation, gender identity

Stock photo of children in a classroom. Taylor Wilcox/Unsplash

Florida’s House of Representatives on Feb. 24 approved a proposal related to parental rights in education, which, among various measures, would ban discussions in classrooms about “sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels or in a specified manner.”

The Republican-backed measure, HB 1557 (pdf), passed with a 69–47 vote, with mostly Republican support. It now moves to the state Senate for consideration. A companion bill also must be approved by the state Senate—SB 1834 (pdf)—before the legislation goes to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his signature.