Current:Home > ContactFlorida students and professors say a new law censors academic freedom. They’re suing to stop it -Lighthouse Finance Hub
Florida students and professors say a new law censors academic freedom. They’re suing to stop it
View
Date:2025-04-27 20:34:34
College students and professors in Florida are suing education officials over a new law spurred by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ war on “woke,” saying it violates their constitutional rights by censoring academic freedom.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court Monday by students and professors at New College, a progressive school with a prominent LGBTQ+ community that was taken over earlier this year by DeSantis and his allies, who claimed it was indoctrinating students with leftist ideology.
Florida now leads the United States “in efforts to censor academic freedom and instruction in its college classrooms,” according to the lawsuit, which is seeking a court order to block the law from being enforced.
The measure, passed by the Republican-dominated Legislature this year, outlaws spending on diversity programs, curbs professors’ tenure security and prohibits the teaching of “identity politics” in Florida public schools.
The new law also directs university leaders to monitor against programs that are based on theories “that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities.”
The suit alleges that the law is unconstitutional because it is overly broad and chills free speech. Specifically, it says the law jeopardizes courses at the honors college on gender studies, queer studies, race, sociology, feminist philosophy and other subjects that affect the school’s curriculum, textbooks, classroom teachings, research and students’ educational experiences.
“In dictating to faculty and students what ideas are true and false, Florida runs headlong into the Bill of Rights,” the complaint states.
The suit names as defendants Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz; the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state’s universities; and the trustees at New College, which is located in Sarasota. The Associated Press sent an email seeking comment to the education commissioner’s office and the Board of Governors’ office.
When DeSantis, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, and his allies took over the school earlier this year, they placed conservative trustees on its board and appointed an interim president who was a former Republican speaker of the Florida State House and DeSantis’ first commissioner of education.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Georgia governor suspends Newton County commissioner accused of taking kickback
- Take an Extra 50% Off J.Crew Sale Styles, 50% Off Quay Sunglasses, 30% Off North Face & the Best Deals
- ‘Taking it off the speculative market’: These nonprofits help tenants afford to stay put
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Lululemon's 'We Made Too Much' Section is on Fire Right Now: Score a $228 Jacket for $99 & More
- Did Katie Ledecky win? How she finished in 800 freestyle
- Memphis, Tennessee, officer, motorist killed in car crash; 2nd officer critical
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Harris has secured enough Democratic delegate votes to be the party’s nominee, committee chair says
Ranking
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- Katie Ledecky makes more Olympic history and has another major milestone in her sights
- CD match, raise, or 9% APY! Promos heat up before Fed rate cut. Hurry to get the best rate
- What is Brat Summer? Charli XCX’s Feral Summer Aesthetic Explained
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Appeals court: Separate, distinct minority groups can’t join together to claim vote dilution
- Son of Kentucky dentist charged in year-old killing; dentist charged with hiding evidence
- Mariah Carey’s Rare Update on Her Twins Monroe and Moroccan Is Sweet Like Honey
Recommendation
Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
Georgia governor suspends Newton County commissioner accused of taking kickback
'Bill & Ted' stars Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter to reunite in new Broadway play
General Hospital's Cameron Mathison Steps Out With Aubree Knight Hours After Announcing Divorce
Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
Death of a Black man pinned down by security guards outside a Milwaukee hotel is ruled a homicide
With this Olympic gold, Simone Biles has now surpassed all the other GOATs
Things to know about the largest US-Russia prisoner swap in post-Soviet history