Bills (HB 835/SB 1006) have been filed recently to safeguard ideological viewpoints in public schools.
The “Florida Student and School Personnel First Amendment and Religious Liberties Act,” introduced by Sen. Clay Yarborough and Rep. David Borrero, would add First Amendment “political and ideological” viewpoint protections against discrimination or “academic penalty” to current religious viewpoint and expression language in Florida Statute.
“A school district may not discriminate against or penalize a student on the basis of expressing a religious, political, or ideological viewpoint or for engaging in religious, political, or ideological expression in the same time, place, and manner and to the same extent that other similarly situated students may engage in speech or express views at a public school,” the Senate proposal reads.
The protections would apply to clubs and their “sincerely held beliefs,” such as the Turning Point USA chapters currently favored by conservatives, with some limited exceptions.
“Expression that is unwelcome, and so severe, pervasive, and subjectively and objectively offensive, that a student is effectively denied equal access to educational opportunities or benefits provided by the school” is exempted from the proposal.
Assuming the group’s viewpoints are not “unwelcome” or “offensive,” a cause of action would be created if a group’s speech is stifled, with potential punitive damages ranging from $15,000 to $25,000. Groups would have two years from the alleged censorship to file a claim.
The bill would take effect in July 2026 if enacted.
