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DeSantis launches 'Education Agenda Tour' to tout conservative school board candidates ahead of primary
By Joshua Nelson
Published August 22, 2022
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis embarked on a statewide "Education Agenda Tour" in advance of the Aug. 23 primary to tout his non-partisan education board endorsements.
The DeSantis Education Agenda Tour began on Sunday, starting in Jacksonville to tout Charlotte Joyce among his list of 29 hand-picked school board candidates.
Although school board seats are non-partisan, the Florida governor has endorsed candidates with conservative platforms.
Joyce, in April, introduced a resolution that aims to support DeSantis’ controversial Parental Rights in Education Bill.
As outlined on Joyce’s campaign website, she vows to ensure "that School Board policies foster and maximize the opportunities for parents to be involved in the education of their students."
Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, speaks during a news conference on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education bill into law in March. The law bans teachers from giving classroom instruction on "sexual orientation" or "gender identity" in kindergarten through third grade. Democrats and critics of the bill have dubbed the law as the "Don’t Say Gay" law, whom claim the law bans any discussion pertaining to being gay in Florida schools.
DeSanti's education tour will feature stops in Miami-Dade, Sarasota, Volusia, and Duval counties ahead of the state's primary elections on Tuesday. The governor endorsed candidates that are "pro-parent," who puts students first, and are committed to his agenda.
In a statement from the Governor, he said, "Florida’s school boards need members who will defend our students and stand up for parental rights and will ensure Florida’s children are protected from woke ideology in their classrooms. I am proud to stand by each of them."
DeSantis’ education agenda consists of keeping schools open and rejecting lockdowns, educating instead of indoctrinating, rejecting the use of critical race theory in the curriculum, and guaranteeing the right of parents to curriculum transparency. He also supports increasing teacher pay, expanding workforce development, and supporting robust civics education.
Furthermore, DeSantis stopped in Sarasota, Florida on Sunday as part of his Education Agenda Tour. The governor addressed several topics such as veterans in the classroom and COVID-19 mandates.
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Around the country, school boards have become a new battleground for political fights over culture-war issues like book banning and teaching gender theory in classrooms. Parents all over the country have been speaking out against coronavirus-related mandates in schools and progressive curriculums that have been associated with critical race theory or gender theory.
These issues have motivated some parents to rise up and run for school board seats. A few parents who had little political experience have pulled off victories.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/desantis-launches-education-agenda-tour-tout-conservative-school-board-candidates-ahead-primary