Florida lawmakers pass bill requiring teaching of history of communism in public schools

TALLAHASSEE – Kindergarteners across Florida may soon be taught a few things about Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and Fidel Castro as lawmakers signed off on legislation requiring that the history of communism be taught in lower grades. 

The House approved a bill (SB 1264) Wednesday by a 106-7 vote, following a similar overwhelming vote last week in the Senate. The measure now goes to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign it into law. 

Under the bill, the Florida Department of Education would be ordered to “prepare and offer” standards for the instruction in the history of communism, with certain concepts included which heavily emphasize the economic upheaval and personal freedom restrictions seen in many Communist nations. 

The theme of the sought-after instruction appears to conclude: Communism is bad and capitalism is good. But a House sponsor disputed that portrayal. 

“Never have we said that we are going to try to indoctrinate anybody,” said Rep. Chuck Brannan, R-Macclenny, a House sponsor. 

While the legislation does encourage comparative discussion of political ideologies that conflict with the “founding principles of the United States,” atrocities committed in foreign countries under the guidance of Communism is called for as central to the instruction. 

“This is a bill that has no special interest behind it,” said Rep. James Buchanan, R-North Port, another sponsor. “It was brought to us by a constituent who thought it was a good idea.” He added that, “We need to make sure we’re teaching history in this state.” 

Rep. Anna Eskamani of Orlando was among a handful of House Democrats who voted against the legislation.

Eskamani said that with Florida’s Republican-dominated state government having advanced plenty of school book requirements and Black history standards which cloud or erase historic events, she doubted this latest demand would be properly carried out. 

Florida students currently can receive lessons on communism in high-school social studies courses or in a seventh-grade civics and government course. A high-school government class which has been required for graduation also includes 45 minutes of instruction on “Victims of Communism Day” which covers communist regimes through history. 

Some criticisms of the bill have focused on it potentially putting communism-related lessons in front of students too young to fully understand them.

In the Senate, bill sponsor Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa, earlier pushed back, assuring, “This will be age-appropriate, and the educational specialists in DOE (the Department of Education) will figure out when and how that’s going to be at an age-appropriate level."

John Kennedy is a reporter in the USA TODAY Network’s Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jkennedy2@gannett.com, or on Twitter at @JKennedyReport.