Florida communism education bill spurs debate during hearing

Florida representatives advanced a bill that would mandate instruction about communism — including in Cuba and Latin America — in public school classrooms.

Florida representatives sparred at a contentious House panel meeting this week over a new proposal to teach the history of communism to schoolchildren, ending in a decisive vote to advance the proposal. 

The bill, which House Republicans proposed in early January, would require public schools to teach, among other topics, about the history of communism within the United States and communist policies in Cuba and Latin America. The bill also specified lessons on the “increasing threat” of communism during the 20th century, citing the Cultural Revolution in China as an example. If passed, it would take effect in the 2026-2027 academic year.

At the panel meeting on Tuesday, the Republican-controlled PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee voted 10–2 to advance the bill. Three of the five Democrats on the committee were absent for the vote.

State Rep. Alina Garcia, a Miami Republican, spoke in favor of the bill, saying that it is “never too early to teach our children the atrocities of communism.”

“I was born in Cuba,” she said, “and because of the communist regime, we had to flee the island, and I’m very grateful to my parents for having done that.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/florida-communism-education-bill-spurs-debate-hearing-rcna138863

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