Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis targeted the teaching of communist history in public schools, signing a new bill on education while taking a jab at Ivy League faculty.
The former Republican presidential candidate spoke at a press conference Wednesday ahead of signing a bill requiring Florida public schools to teach students about the “evil accuracies” of communism.
DeSantis was on hand at the Hialeah Gardens Museum in Miami where he asserted, “We’re going to tell the truth about communism in the state of Florida.”
“One hundred million were killed at the hands of communist regimes,” he told the crowd gathered on the 63rd anniversary of the “Bay of Pigs” invasion in Cuba. “Those are the facts, and those are what we need to be very clear-eyed about.”
The governor and others who spoke reiterated the importance of teaching the next generations accurate history. At one point, DeSantis quipped that Harvard University sported more communists in its faculty than all of Eastern Europe.
“I’ve heard it said that if you counted up all the communists left over in Eastern Europe, there’s more communists on the Harvard faculty than in all of Eastern Europe,” he said to audience laughter.
“Because they lived through it. So no one’s a communist anymore there,” he added.
Governor DeSantis just now: “There are more communists on the Harvard faculty than in all of Eastern Europe. Because they lived through it. So no one’s a communist anymore there.”
FACT CHECK: TRUE pic.twitter.com/FJ6WQqhitx
— Christina Pushaw (@ChristinaPushaw) April 17, 2024
House Bill 1264 will take effect for the 2026-2027 academic year and requires “instruction in public schools on the history of communism that is age and developmentally appropriate,” according to the bill summary.
“The bill requires the Department of Education (DOE) to prepare and offer standards for the required instruction, and allows the DOE to seek input from victims of communism and organizations dedicated to the victims of communism,” according to the Florida Senate website.
In addition, an “Institute for Freedom in the Americas” will be established at Miami Dade College “to preserve the ideals of a free society and promote democracy in the Americas.”
“It’s gonna give the students the truth about communism. We might as well tell them the truth while they’re in our schools,” DeSantis said.
The bill also requires the Department of State to collaborate with the DOE in creating a museum focusing on the history of communism.
“For us to truly understand the evils and perils of communism, this bill will allow our students to not repeat history after so many lives have been shattered and separated due to the devil that is communism,” Florida Department of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said at the press conference.
“This will continue to build on Florida’s moral legacy,” he added.
GOP State Sen. Jay Collins, who represents District 14, said the new law “will take the truth of communism and show what it does to communities.”
“We need to pass these freedoms to our children because I will fight relentlessly to protect those we love,” added the retired Green Beret and Purple Heart recipient.
If we fail to teach our kids the reality of things like Socialism (Slavery) and Communism, we are not just failing as parents — we are failing as a generation that stands up for freedom, liberty and justice for all.
— Jay Collins (@JayCollinsFL) April 17, 2024
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Author: Frieda Powers
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