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Florida Republicans are once again using their power to fight against teachers and public education.
Conservative Florida representative Bob Rommel recently proposed a bill that puts teachers in the hot seat—and people aren't happy about it.
Rommel publicly pushed the idea of creating a bill to force teachers to wear microphones during school hours.
The reason? So parents could hear and subsequently monitor the lessons being taught to their children in schools.
In the wake of the huge controversy about the teaching of critical race theory—a graduate school field of study mistaken for teaching an accurate, non-White supremacist version of history—conservative parents and politicians have been fighting tooth and nail to keep educators from teaching anything that might be critical of a White person to their children.
Thus, Rommel has been attempting to create and implement legislation to allow parents to monitor teachers to be sure their children aren't being taught accurate history. He believes he can do so without infringing on teachers' rights.
He said:
"I think if we can do it in a safe way to protect the privacy of students and teachers, I think we should do it."
"I haven't heard a response good or bad from any teachers, but…it's not their private space. It's our children's space, too."
Educators are standing their ground against the suggested bill, however.
In an interview with CBS, Broward Teachers Union president Anna Fusco warned that legislation such as this would turn even more educators against the already-shrinking profession, as prospective teachers won't stand for having their lessons constantly monitored and criticized by overbearing parents.
She said:
"You want to play Big Brother every moment?"
"That's not how society should be. We need to get back to where we have trust, we have value, we have faith and we have conversations and we can work things out if something happens."
Twitter users are showing solidarity with teachers.
So preposterous on so many levels that I have to think it is a stunt: \u201cFlorida lawmakers are debating a bill that would allow schools districts to put cameras in classrooms and microphones on teachers.\u201d 1) it\u2019s Orwellian 2) it\u2019s a waste of money 3) \u2026https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-bill-would-allow-cameras-in-classrooms-and-microphones-on-teachers/\u00a0\u2026— Derek W. Black (@Derek W. Black) 1642164562
Thinking this is probably not a terribly good idea.https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-bill-would-allow-cameras-in-classrooms-and-microphones-on-teachers/\u00a0\u2026— J. Michael Straczynski (@J. Michael Straczynski) 1642124098
FL GOPer @Bob_Rommel proposes constant surveillance of teachers with cameras and microphones. Funny how all these scumbags whining about "government overreach" are forever trying to invent some creepy fascist freakshow in broad daylight.https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-bill-would-allow-cameras-in-classrooms-and-microphones-on-teachers/\u00a0\u2026— Steve Silberman (@Steve Silberman) 1642195240
Anybody else interested in a constitutional amendment to require the Governor, cabinet, senior officials, and legislators to wear bodycams and livestream all official meetings?\n\n#FlaPolhttps://twitter.com/davidjollyfl/status/1481968872504840194\u00a0\u2026— Andrew J. Wilson (@Andrew J. Wilson) 1642168860
How about a bill to allow cameras & microphones on cops that can\u2019t be turned off?https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-bill-would-allow-cameras-in-classrooms-and-microphones-on-teachers/\u00a0\u2026— Jim Drumheller \ud83d\udc3e (@Jim Drumheller \ud83d\udc3e) 1642172771
My problem isn\u2019t that this is a privacy issue per se, just that it\u2019s a paranoid overreaction to a largely made-up concern.https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-bill-would-allow-cameras-in-classrooms-and-microphones-on-teachers/\u00a0\u2026— Patrick Chovanec (@Patrick Chovanec) 1642167575
Republicans are grifters. They claim to support things like "freedom of speech" while writing legislation which would make teachers wear microphones & put cameras in classrooms. All because they're scared of the truth when it comes to history.https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-bill-would-allow-cameras-in-classrooms-and-microphones-on-teachers/\u00a0\u2026— \u267f\ud83d\udd4a\ufe0f \ud83d\ude4c \ud83d\udc89 Vaccines Are Healthcare (@\u267f\ud83d\udd4a\ufe0f \ud83d\ude4c \ud83d\udc89 Vaccines Are Healthcare) 1642174669
More afraid of what our children are learning than school shootings https://twitter.com/DerekWBlack/status/1481971702154383364\u00a0\u2026— April Green (@April Green) 1642165354
They think they have a teacher shortage now...— Lewis Edwards (@Lewis Edwards) 1642124359
Tell me now they want to destroy public education, without telling me they want to destroy public education.https://twitter.com/derekwblack/status/1481971702154383364\u00a0\u2026— Jane (@Jane) 1642165496
This is far from the first legislation that would put unnecessary stress and control over teachers.
In fact, recently Indiana Senator Scott Baldwin faced backlash over remarks he made about filing a bill that would require teachers to show impartiality when teaching fascism and Nazism, a remark that he has since backtracked on.
Other bills include a recently-proposed Iowa bill that would force teachers to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and display "patriotism," as well that other bills which slash education budgets while forcing teachers to pay for supplies out of pocket, refuse to allow teachers to wear masks, and forcing teachers to carry extra workloads due to staffing shortages.
If laws continue to place financial burdens on educators whilst curtailing their workers' rights, then the field of education may continue to suffer.