After the midterm election season, it seems clear that Florida has shifted from a purple state to a red state. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has brought about a seismic political shift.
Florida’s school system has also experienced a major change, with anti-woke rules and laws coming into effect in recent years.
Unfortunately, an Obama-appointed federal judge just halted one of those anti-woke moves — but in doing so, he sparked a whirlwind of pushback.
It’s officially called the Individual Freedom Act, and it’s designed to stop the flood of leftist and woke indoctrination in Florida schools and workplaces. Many parents supported the idea.
It’s also known as the “Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.) Act,” a title that got plenty of attention on social media.
However, Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker slapped a preliminary injunction on the law, saying it hinders professors from “expressing disfavored viewpoints” and “challenging ideas.”
He also called professors “priests of democracy,” which really didn’t go over well with critics.
Via The Daily Wire:
Christopher J. Scalia, the son of former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, responded to Walker’s sentence referring to professors being the ‘priests of democracy’ by saying, ‘That whole sentence is embarrassing.’
‘We need to start getting rid of these repulsive judges — or giving them IQ tests,’ political commentator David Reaboi tweeted. ‘This clown is dumber than dirt.’
But the pushback didn’t end there.
Attorney Will Chamberlain tweeted: “Whatever happened to separation of church and state? If professors are ‘priests of democracy, then universities are churches, and must do without all government funding.”
More criticism flooded out on Twitter as well:
‘Ah yes, the American university, a flourishing marketplace of ideas,’ law professor Adrian Vermeule tweeted sarcastically.
‘Priests of democracy’ is correct, although not in the sense the judge intended.’
The Daily Signal’s Jarrett Stepman tweeted, ‘Priests of democracy.’ The left actually wants to publicly fund religion, as long as it’s their religion.’
The law in question was passed back in March, and banned public schools and universities from teaching 8 concepts that are considered discriminatory.
If parents catch schools teaching these concepts – many of which are filed under the CRT heading – they’re allowed to sue. Employers are also barred from forcing woke training on employees.
The banned concepts include telling people they’re “inherently racist” just because of their race or gender, and forcing people to feel guilty for actions committed by their ancestors.
This goes hand-in-hand with the Florida education board’s decision to ban CRT and the 1619 Project from being taught in schools.
As for the judge’s injunction on “Stop the Woke Act,” Gov. DeSantis’ office said they “strongly disagree” and will appeal it. DeSantis’ press secretary Bryan Griffin said in a statement:
The Stop W.O.K.E. Act protects the open exchange of ideas by prohibiting teachers or employers who hold agency over others from forcing discriminatory concepts on students as part of classroom instruction or on employees as a condition of maintaining employment.
An ‘open-minded and critical’ environment necessitates that one is free from discrimination.
There’s no doubt that given Florida’s current political bent, they’ll continue to fight back against “wokeness” at every turn.
Key Takeaways:
- An Obama-appointed judge put a freeze on Florida’s “Stop the Woke Act.”
- The law bars teaching 8 “discriminatory concepts,” such as teaching people they’re “inherently racist” due to their race or sex.
- Gov. DeSantis’ office disagreed with the ruling and intends to appeal.
Source: The Daily Wire
