Most of my blog posts lately have been quite the downers as I report on bad bills approved by our legislature and the fallout we’re already starting to see around the state. But every now and then there are some bright spots to enjoy.
The Roar is a student paper produced by the students at West Shore Jr./Sr. High School in Melbourne. The paper published an editorial blasting the passage of the instructional materials bill. It’s a thoughtful, well reasoned piece that really gives me hope. Students are, in fact, not blind to what’s going on around them. Seeing them engaged in legislation that can truly impact their education gives me hope for our future.
Florida House bill 989 designed to curtail broad education:
Some parents, along with legislators in the Florida House of Representatives and Senate, have decided that certain parts of the curriculum being taught in school are too controversial and that they deserve the right to determine how or whether or not these subjects can or should be taught.
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The problem with this bill is that even though the sponsors claimed that it helps parents get more involved with their students and there are limitations on what can be objected to, the legislation can easily create a situation in which someone can object to a subject being taught in school because it offends them. Groups that don’t believe in certain parts of a scientific curriculum, such as evolution or immunization, for example, can now successfully argue that their children are too young to be learning about a topic that they really just don’t want their students to hear about because it goes against their own personal beliefs.
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Instead of claiming that everything is inappropriate for their precious kids, parents should want their children to learn about these so-called “controversial†topics in an environment that is controlled and honest conversation can be facilitated.
In order to be a truly educated society, students need to be learning important issues without censorship.
