Keywords
academic freedom; academic censorship, higher education, Florida public schools; Florida legislation; Florida legislators
Abstract
Florida’s HB 7 and SB 266, enacted July 1, 2022, and July 1, 2023, respectively. HB 7 controls how certain race-related concepts, like critical race theory, are taught in K-12 classrooms and higher education. SB 266, apart from prohibiting expenditures for DEI programs, provides new requirements for general education core course curricula, including the disallowing of teaching identity politics and barring any classes that are “based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities.” Both HB 7 and SB 266 are the deliberate attempts of Florida lawmakers to impose upon classroom topics and what can be taught in K-12 schools as well as institutes of higher education. This is not the first instance of the legislation in Florida being manipulated to promote certain topics and censor others in education, nor is it a rare occurrence – Florida legislation has historically been an active agent in the discourse of ideas through classroom interference across Florida’s public schools: moving from banning classroom topics outright at the beginning of the twentieth century, to instead passing laws that mandate educators to teach in a manner approved by the state. This thesis analyzes the chronology of how the authoritarian language of Florida legislation has evolved to suppress certain topics and require the instruction of others at the whim of lawmakers.
Thesis Completion Year
2025
Thesis Completion Semester
Summer
Thesis Chair
Cassanello, Robert
College
College of Arts and Humanities
Department
History
Thesis Discipline
History
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus Access
None
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Faylun, Kassandra, "The Truth and Their Versions: Florida Lawmakers and Academic Freedom Across K-12 and Higher Education" (2025). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 368.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/368
Rights Statement
