Conservative group Defending Education (DE) is asking Florida lawmakers to review their education laws and policies.
The letter they sent urges leaders to repeal or revise any provisions that:
• Allow race- or sex-based preferences in hiring, admissions, or programming.
• Violate Titles VI, VII, or IX of the Civil Rights Act or the Equal Protection Clause and undermines student safety through poor vetting of abusive employees between schools.
DE says the goal is to ensure each state’s education system complies with federal civil rights and constitutional protections before violations endanger students and further erode parental trust.
In their letter to Florida officials, Defending Education listed a multitude of questions they would liked to see addressed.
1. Are public schools permitted or instructed to use race in admissions, programming, scholarships, or benefits under state law?
2. Are public schools permitted or instructed to engage in preferential hiring or promotion practices based on race, sex, color, national origin, or religion?
3. Do schools prioritize candidates from “underrepresented groups” for hiring or
promotion, and bypass qualified candidates who do not belong to those groups?
6. May schools use mandatory minimums for candidate pools to ensure there are a certain number of applicants from particular races among them?
7. May a school condition the award of contracts on the basis of characteristics like sex or race?
8. Must schools conduct DEI training programs for staff? This includes but is not limited to, those tha,t through content or implementatio,n exclude or disadvantage
individuals based on protected characteristics or create a hostile environment.
9. Are public schools permitted or required to open up all educational facilities, private spaces, housing accommodations, overnight accommodations, sports teams,
scholarships, or other offerings to any individual based on gender identity, regardless of that student’s underlying biological sex or the privacy and safety
concerns of fellow students?
10.May public schools treat “misgendering” of students or staff as a form of sexual harassment under state anti-discrimination law? Relatedly, may schools demand all attendees use mandatory pronouns and chosen names—even if biologically inaccurate?
11. Are schools required to use E-Verify to verify the identity and legal status of those applying for positions in those schools or school districts?
12. Must schools engage in routine review of employees hired before the implementation of E-Verify? Must they engage in any background review of employees after initial vetting during the entirety of that employee’s tenure?
13. How does the school board verify educational credentials on resumes of potential hires or current employees?
15. Are schools required to include information about sexual assault or sexual harassment charges, investigations, or convictions brought against any school employee in that individual’s employment file? Are schools required to report charges of sexual assault or sexual harassment to the appropriate criminal and civil authorities (such as the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, local police, etc.)?
