School of Education faculty member Suzanne Eckes offered her expertise on educators’ free speech rights to a recent story in The Washington Post.
The story focused on an April decision by the Florida Board of Education forbidding the teaching of gender identity and sexuality in K-12 public schools. The story notes the new rule builds on a 2022 law that barred classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.
Some have raised concerns about the new rule having a chilling effect on educators’ speech in the classroom.
In the story, Eckes, who is the Susan S. Engeleiter Chair in Education Law, Policy, and Practice in the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, pointed out freedom of speech for public school teachers is limited while they’re in class.
“Federal courts have explained that teachers are required to follow the approved curriculum,” Eckes said.
Read the entire Washington Post article here.