Student Project:
The Florida Legislature is transitioning after an election year. There is also a new governor who
has won and is beginning their term. One of the big things the Florida Legislature wishes to
focus on is education. Under Article IX, Section 1 of the Florida Constitution, it notes that the
“education of children is a fundamental value of the people of the State of Florida. It is,
therefore, a paramount duty of the state to make adequate provision for the education of all
children residing within its borders. Adequate provision shall be made by law for a uniform,
efficient, safe, secure, and high-quality system of free public schools that allows students to
obtain a high-quality education . . .” The Florida Legislature had previously passed a law that
was signed by the prior Governor that banned educators from teaching about topics related to
race known as the “Individual Freedom” bill.1 As a way to provide “high-quality” education, the
legislature wishes to adopt new legislation, which an excerpt of the bill reads: “provide the
Department of Education with the responsibility to incorporate proper and accurate race
discussions into any applicable topics.” Any actions done by the Department of Education must
be completed as expeditiously as possible.”2 The Governor is set to sign the bill in the next few
weeks and the bill will be in effect 60 days from the date the Governor signed. This will allow
for schools to properly plan for the next school year.
The Department of Education has a State Board of Education, which is prescribed in Florida
Stat. §1001.02, Fla. Stat. (2001) as the “chief implementing and coordinating body of public
education in Florida except for the State University System, and it shall focus on high-level
policy decisions.” Each school within the state is part of a district system, which is composed of
a school board and superintendent.3 Any and all information with regards to the administrative
process for the state of Florida can be found in its statutes.
Student 1: You will act as agency employee in charge of enacting and drafting rules and policy for the Department of Education. You will exercise the authority that the Florida Legislature
has provided to you with regards to this bill. Your work product will consist of any administrative rules and orders, as well as executive action item reports based on the final rule. You can refer to the Florida Department of Education website for reference and pointers on what the work product should
look like.
Writer, I basically need you to draft a bill/policy as it pertains to critical race theory. I need background information/define what it is/ why it is important for the board of education to implement CRT. I would need to draft up a policy as well as an implementation plan. I need you to focus on policy and implementation.