Federal appeals court blocks enforcement of Florida ‘Stop W.O.K.E. Act’ – By Marisa Sarnoff (Law and Crime) / Mar 16 2023
Public university professors in Florida may continue to share their opinions about racism, sexism, and discrimination in the classroom — at least for now — after three federal judges upheld a ban on enforcement of a controversial law that GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis has hailed as fighting “indoctrination.”
A three-judge panel upheld an injunction against the so-called “Stop W.O.K.E. Act,” which DeSantis has said provides teachers with “tools to stand up against discrimination and woke indoctrination.” The legislation — HB 7, formally called the “Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act” — is aimed at blocking teachers from offering their opinions on what DeSantis described as “pernicious ideologies” that could potentially make students, because of their race, feel personally responsible for past racism, sexism, or other discrimination in the U.S
Critics have said it’s an attempt to stop meaningful discussion of the ongoing effects of longstanding systemic discrimination and topics including critical race theory and privilege.
