Florida’s parental rights law upheld in federal court after settlement

A multi-year lawsuit regarding Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, which critics called a “Don’t Say Gay” bill, was settled on Monday, clarifying the language of the law. 

A lawsuit against the 2022 Parental Rights in Education Act was dismissed in federal court last month after the district court judge ruled that the remaining plaintiffs didn’t have standing. 

The ruling resulted in a settlement on Monday, which keeps the law in place but clarifies and tones down some of the language, The Hill reported. 

Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis’s office lauded the settlement as a victory. 

“We fought hard to ensure this law couldn’t be maligned in court, as it was in the public arena by the media and large corporate actors,” said Ryan Newman, who is the state general counsel. “We are victorious, and Florida’s classrooms will remain a safe place under the Parental Rights in Education Act.” 

Under the law, public schools may not instruct children from kindergarten through eighth grade on topics regarding gender identity and sexual orientation. For high school, teachers are not allowed to discuss such topics in manners that weren’t age appropriate, according to the outlet. 

Per the settlement, the state’s Department of Education will send a memo to Florida school district, clarifying that the law doesn’t ban all discussion of LGBTQ topics in classrooms and that there must be strict neutrality while discussing gender identity and sexual orientation.