The Florida Senate

Today, Florida Sen. Shevrin Jones (SD-35), Vice Chair of the Education Committee, released the following statement regarding Gov. Ron DeSantis’ proposal to “ban” Critical Race Theory in schools and workplaces statewide.

Senator Shevrin Jones issued the following statement:

Let’s be clear, Gov. DeSantis and his administration know full well that CRT is not taught in K-12 schools or workplaces. It’s unfortunate that instead of running on forward-looking ideas to improve people’s daily lives, Republicans would rather manufacture a crisis out of a non-issue, all in the hopes of fanning the flames of a culture war for political gain.

When it comes to the education of our children, parents’ voices ought to be heard, taken seriously, and engaged in their kids’ learning about the world as it actually exists. There will be questions about race, a social construct, both in our history and in our present. We do children a disservice by hiding, lying, or covering up the truth — especially as we are tasked with setting them up for long-term success and the tools needed to envision the better future and society that they are going to create.

There is also no denying that prejudice and discrimination exist in many forms in workplaces, here in Florida and across the country. Ultimately, employers have a responsibility to foster safe, healthy, productive environments for their employees — that’s how Florida will attract and retain the very best and brightest and compete in today’s global economy.

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