While the Parental Rights in Education bill and Stop W.O.K.E. Act passed the Florida legislature in controversy, the average Floridian may disagree with this sentiment. New polling shows that more Floridians are overwhelmingly supportive of parental rights in the classroom.
In a new poll conducted by Saint Leo University Polling Institute of 1,000 Floridians asked individuals about their opinions on classroom issues that were addressed in this year's 2022 Florida session.
By the largest margin, 87% of Floridians somewhat or strongly agreed that parents have a right to see what curriculum is used in their children's classrooms. An additional 87.4% agreed that curriculum in public schools should be available to anyone interested and totally transparent.
A big topic of debate across the country on parental rights includes the banning of books that have been deemed controversial. To Kill a Mockingbird is one of them for certain outdated cultural references. However, the poll found that 34% of Floridians and even fewer Americans (32%) would support banning books on literature like To Kill a Mockingbird.
The same polling institute also found very contrary data in their research when it came to Critical Race Theory. CRT made quite the splash in last year's and this year's legislative session when the Florida GOP banned the academic theory from all public schools.
The research concluded that 41.2% of respondents nationally affirmed their support for teaching CRT in the classroom while 38% said they oppose the curriculum.
Florida Republicans started the uproar against the academic study that has since translated into a talking point on the national stage. The common criticism most attributed to CRT is that it has Marxist tendencies and promotes racism among young people.
