Reader: Parental Rights law is just common sense

Editor, The Beacon:

Your columnist wrongly condemns Florida’s new Parental Rights in Education law as being somehow aimed at harming LGBT people (“Nothing to see here but an attack on LGBT youth,” April 7).

That is utter nonsense. The law is merely a commonsense effort to prevent the sexualization of our youth, and one that is overwhelmingly favored by most Floridians, especially parents of young children. It does not contain a “don’t say gay” provision as is dishonestly claimed by many of its opponents.

What does it do? It specifically prevents classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K through third grade, in recognition of the fact that 6- and 7-year-olds do not yet possess the maturity and life experience to properly comprehend those issues.

Such discussions with very young children, if any, should solely be within the province of their parents. Teachers have enough to do in instructing youngsters in basic reading and writing skills without robbing them of that magical time of their lives of just being a kid.

Your columnist takes a dim view of the government “mandating what teachers are allowed to teach,” yet that’s exactly what it should do.

Schools are funded by Florida’s taxpaying citizens, and the government, through the people’s elected representatives, has every right to decide what is and what isn’t taught in government schools.

We Floridians are very fortunate to have a Legislature and governor who are willing to take on the scorn and abuse from the “woke” culture to fight the good fight for the sake of our kids.

John DiChiara

DeLand

Editor’s note: As Mr. DiChiara states, the new law prohibits classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in grades kindergarten through third grade; however, it also prevents such discussion in any grade, if the discussion occurs in a manner that’s judged to be “not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate.”