The Palm Beach County School Board on Wednesday approved a new school district policy to align with the newly passed and controversial "Parental Rights In Education" law, which critics have dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" measure.
The "Parents Bill Of Rights" policy passed 5 to 2, with board members Dr. Debra Robinson and Alexandria Ayala voting against the plan.
SPECIAL COVERAGE: Education
Under the approved policy, classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity is banned in kindergarten through third grade, and must be "age appropriate and developmentally appropriate" for children in grades four and above.
The "Parents Bill Of Rights" also requires schools to provide a copy of any well-being or health screening forms to the parents of children in kindergarten through third grade, and get a parent's permission before the screening is administered.
In addition, parents must be notified of all health services offered at their child's school, and have the option to decline those services.
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The policy recognizes parents' rights according to state law and outlines what they can do if they have a complaint about what their kids are taught, or other issues like instructional materials used in schools.
First, a parent's complaint needs to be submitted in writing to the school principal.
Then the principal will convene a school review committee to meet within five days, and the parent will have 10 minutes to explain their concerns.
Within two days, the school will have a recommendation from the committee and parents can request further review if they are not happy with the results.
Palm Beach County parent and school board candidate Kristen Stevenson said she's glad to see parental rights put on paper.
"I definitely think it's a solid first step in following the House bill and putting in place a framework for the district to follow," Stevenson said. "I think that will make a lot of us feel more confident in sending our kids back to school in the fall."
But Andrew Spar, the president of the Florida Education Association, believes the law — which allows parents to file a lawsuit if they are not satisfied with the school district's resolution — is unnecessary.
"There's a sacred trust that exists between parents and teachers and there are people trying to tear it down," Spar said. "I think this law in particular that talks about parents' rights and their ability to sue teachers and schools is really trying to break down that sacred trust, and we can't allow that to happen."
RELATED: Truth test regarding sexual orientation, gender identity in Florida schools
Currently, instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity are not part of the Florida public school educational standards for kindergarten through third grade, despite claims to the contrary from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
"Elementary school kids should not have woke gender ideology injected into the curriculum," DeSantis said Wednesday in Madeira Beach. "That is inappropriate. That is not what we want in our school system."
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DeSantis argued parents should how the final say over how their children learn about sexual education in school.
"I think, particularly our elementary schools, their mission needs to be to teach reading and writing and math and science," DeSantis said. "Parents deserve that protection."
