Parental Rights in Education bill

There has been a lot of outrage aimed at a couple of bills coming out of Florida. One in particular, the Parental Rights in Education bill, has fueled all kinds of anger throughout the country. Despite the strong opinions, a lot of people don't even know the name of the bill. It is frequently identified as the "Don't Say Gay" bill.

There are several components to this bill, but there is one part that has infuriated liberals. This is the section that gave the bill its nickname. I have copied the contents below:

Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.

While a lot of people are fixating on the implications on the LGBTQ+ community, I want to do something a little bit different. As a big believer in the need to shift to an open and fluid educational environment, there are two concepts in this statement that seriously bother me that have nothing to do with sexual orientation or gender identity.

The first issue is that this statement is dependent on schools dividing children into age-based groupings known as grades. This bill specifically acknowledges kindergarten and grade 3. These classifications should not exist. In fact, they can't exist in an environment that sees children as more than their ages.

The second issue is closely related. What is age appropriate? In short, it's the nonsensical idea that what's best for a child is dependent on that child's age. Children are unique individuals. What's best for them can't be determined by age alone.

Here in Washington, we passed a law that requires all schools to provide sex ed according to state standards. This set off a fairly fierce debate. Democrats defended the law on the basis that it would be age appropriate. Republicans countered that it would not be age appropriate. Since the curriculum had not yet been developed, it was difficult to say which side was closer to reality.

There's actually a lot of overlap between the provision of the Parental Rights in Education bill and the sex ed law in Washington. Both laws are built around the faulty assumption that what's best for children can be determined by age. Both can be argued within context of the conventional schooling model. Neither law makes any sense within context of a school that actually meets the needs of each unique individual that attends. In fact, neither law can even exist within context of a model that actually works. Both laws are progress inhibitive.

In all honesty, I don't think I have anything to add to the discussion about sexual orientation and gender identity at this time. As an educational rights advocate, I have more to say about the implications on educational rights. We need to stop forcing children into age-based molds. We need to stop treating them as though they are nothing more than their ages. While Democrats and Republicans are fighting over the best way to entrench us in the status quo model, I want future generations to have something better. I openly opposed my state's sex ed law. I don't live in Florida, but it's disturbing to see the Republicans making the same mistakes as the Democrats.