Florida plans to revoke or suspend the teaching licenses of elementary school educators who teach students about gender identity or sexuality, according to a new rule published by the state’s Department of Education.

Fla. to strip licenses of K-3 teachers who discuss gender identity, sexuality
Fla. to strip licenses of K-3 teachers who discuss gender identity, sexuality© iStock/iStock

The rule, proposed in August and approved by Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. in September, is intended to enforce a 2021 state law that forbids instruction on gender identity and sexuality for children in kindergarten through third grade. The measure, the Parental Rights in Education Act, is known by opponents as the “don’t say gay” law.

The Florida Department of Education has done little to publicize its rule on teachers’ licenses. The rule appeared online around the same time that the state was taking damage from Hurricane Ian, which has left more than 100 dead. News of the rule was first reported Tuesday by the newsletter the Progress Report.

The rule states that any teacher who “intentionally provide[s] classroom instruction” to K-3 students on those two topics will face “revocation or suspension of the individual educator’s certificate, or the other penalties as provided by law.”

The 2021 law already requires schools to create a system via which parents can report teacher noncompliance with the law. If a school system does not address a parent’s concerns, the law makes it easy for parents to sue and says the Florida Department of Education can launch an investigation of the district.