Senate approves mandatory elementary classroom pics of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington

Two of the best-regarded Presidents in the history of the United States are closer to having pride of place in Florida classrooms.

The Senate has passed a bill from Sen. Danny Burgess (SB 420) that would require schools to hang portraits of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington where K-5 students learn about social studies in public schools.

Only Democratic Sens. Tracie Davis and Shevrin Jones voted against it, despite the sponsor quipping that opposition to the bill is tantamount to “treason.”

For Burgess, posting the Presidents in classrooms is more than just posturing; it’s about national identity and unity.

“This bill helps to try to instill a little bit of patriotism and pride in our country. It requires a display of the portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in a prominent place in a school,” Burgess said.

Fittingly, Burgess said the “Patriotic Displays in Classrooms” bill was inspired by his children wondering why these Presidents’ pictures weren’t up in Florida classrooms.

“We RV the country, as you know, and we go to a lot of one room schoolhouses out west. There was one common thread that you would see every time you visit one, and that was a portrait of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln right above a chalkboard,” Burgess said.

“And it was deeper than just a symbol. It sparked a conversation. It reminded us of who we are as a nation and how we should always strive to be greater. Reunified us after the Civil War. There was an intent and a purpose behind it.”

But this tribute to the first President and the one who dealt with the secession of southern states, the Civil War, and its immediate aftermath before his assassination would come at a to-be-determined cost for taxpayers.

Staff bill analysis for the House companion bill (HB 371) warned of “significant negative fiscal impact” for the Florida Department of Education.

“The exact cost depends on the method by which the portraits are made available for each specified classroom and which portraits the DOE selects,” the analysis said. “The implementation of this bill is contingent upon appropriation of funding.”