BRANDON, Fla. — The responsibility of deciding what students learn across the state may soon fall on the shoulders of parents.
- A CLOSER LOOK: Florida Senate Bill 1634
A highly controversial bill is making its way to the state capitol and many are fighting it.
So, who should determine what our students learn in school? The parents or the administration?
Parental involvement starting from the earliest ages has a significant impact on student outcomes.
For Terry Kemple, president of the Protect Our Children Project, the answer is obvious.
Which is why he is in full support of Senate Bill 1634 - also known as the ‘parents’ bill of rights’- which allows parents to pull their child out of a class or lesson if they don’t agree with the subject matter being taught.
"To kind of narrow it down to the nub, this is about kids being educated. Academically educated, and not indoctrinated." Kemple said.
He worries in some districts, there is room to push an agenda, and he said that doesn’t belong in school.
But the group Equality Florida worries this bill could do more harm than good.
"You could have a situation where a parent pulls their child out of financial literacy," said Michael Womack, Communications Manager For Equality Florida.
"Or a parent that does not believe in the holocaust and pulls them out of world war two history and things like that. So i think these are universally recognized as important subjects that our kids need to learn."
Womack also worries this would create an unsafe or uncomfortable environment for students in the LGBT community.
"These are the same groups that are looking to ban books with LGBT characters from school libraries," Womack said. "So not only are we concerned about this bill specifically, but we’re concerned about where these bills are coming from and the motivation behind them."
But still, Kemple stands true to his beliefs.
"Parents have the ultimate responsibility to determine the values that are taught to their children," he said.
This bill is still working its way through committees before it would potentially go to the floor for a vote.