The media has been buzzing about the pot and abortion amendments that are currently on the ballot in Florida's election this year. While many activists have been battling over the abortion amendment or marijuana legalization, partisan school board elections under Amendment 1 have slipped under the radar of many Floridians.
President Joe Biden (D) has started his campaigning across the country, with Florida on his short list of states to visit. The President was recently in Tampa where he discussed the abortion amendment on the ballot this year, where he claimed that Florida was now "in play" for Democrats.
Issues like abortion or marijuana are certainly at the front of many Americans' minds, but just a couple of years ago this was not the case in Florida.
In 2021, Lee County Public Schools came under fire for a bathroom policy that allowed biological males to use female restrooms. In response, State Rep. Spencer Roach (R-FL) pointed out how important school board elections are, "Congressional elections are important, the State House is important, but the most important election anyone ever votes in is the local school board," said Roach. "They have absolutely the most influence on the future of this country."
One year later, Governor DeSantis (R-FL) and Florida Republicans waged a war with the public school system on multiple fronts. The Parental Rights in Education, or the "Don't Say Gay" bill, authored in 2022, cracked down on discussions of sexuality between educators and children at school, which critics quickly labeled a homophobic piece of legislation.
Last year, a bipartisan fight over censorship of sensitive content in public schools broke out, with Democrats like US Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL) not supporting the removal of pornographic material from public schools and claimed that Governor DeSantis believes in "book banning."
While issues like marijuana and abortion may take up more screen time on national news headlines, a silent partisan war is being fought viscously in Florida's education system. Partisan school board elections may create a clearer image of what certain candidates stand for, but could also divide the school system even more than it already is.
