Stop W.O.K.E. Act: Florida governor takes ‘stand against critical race theory’ with new legislation
Action News Jax | By ActionNewsJax.com News Staff | December 15, 2021
WILDWOOD, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis is taking a stand against critical race theory (CRT) in Florida schools and workplaces.
CRT explores systematic racism in America from education to employment and healthcare.
During a news conference in Central Florida on Wednesday morning, the Florida governor announced the state will introduce new legislation called the ‘Stop Wrongs Against Our Kids and Employees Act’ or Stop W.O.K.E. Act.
It’s a legislative proposal that would “give businesses, employees, children and families tools to fight back against woke indoctrination,” the governor’s office stated.
Earlier this year, Action News Jax reported when Florida teachers were officially banned from teaching students the curriculumin K-12 schools. Prior to the State Board of Education’s vote in June, CRT was not being taught in any Florida K-12 schools.
However, CRT is taught in more than 200 colleges and universities nationwide according to CriticalRace.org, created by Williams Jacobson. Eight of those college/universities are in Florida.
“No taxpayer dollars should be used to teach our kids to hate our country or to hate each other,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis said the legislation will protect teachers, and other education staff members, by not allowing them to be subjected to CRT training. It would also give parents the ability to make sure state standards are being followed.
“We will be including in the legislation, giving parents a private right of action to be able to enforce the prohibition on CRT and they get to recover attorneys fees when they prevail,” DeSantis stated.
The legislation aims to also defund any money for K-12 or higher education going to CRT consultants, DeSantis said.
The governor said the ideology goes beyond education and is seen in workplaces, and it creates a hostile work environment for employees.
“It really has become something that is being used by corporate America to, I think, create hostile work environments for many of their employees,” DeSantis said. “Finally, we must protect Florida workers against the hostile work environment that is created when large corporations force their employees to endure CRT-inspired ‘training’ and indoctrination,” he added in a release from his office.
The Stop W.O.K.E. Act will be introduced at the next legislature session in January 2022.
