Florida is not a healthy place for children, thanks to Governor Ron DeSantis. In his zeal to show that he favors parents’ rights more than anyone else. Children in Florida used to be checked for vision, hearing, and other health issues as a matter of course, but no longer. Before they may be screened, a parent must provide written authorization.
Leslie Postal and Caroline Catherman write in The Orlando Sentinel:
Florida’s public schools historically have checked thousands of students a year for vision, hearing and growth problems, hoping to catch early health issues that can impede academic achievement.
But the number of students in Orange and Seminole public schools screened last year plummeted after Florida passed a new law that requires parents to give written permission for their children to take part in school-based health screenings, data from the state and the school districts show.
Orange County Public Schools, for example, screened nearly 55,000 students for vision problems during the 2021-22 school year but fewer than 14,000 students during the 2022-23 school year, a drop of nearly 75%.
Seminole County Public Schools screened about 7,100 students for vision problems last school year down from nearly 18,000 the prior year…
Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law — dubbed “don’t say gay” by critics because it limits instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity — was first adopted in 2021 and then expanded in 2022 and 2023.
It requires parents to provide written consent for medical procedures, including school health screenings and clinic treatments such as ice packs and bandages. It also means schools must request written parent permission for students to be called nicknames, attend school pep rallies or join after-school clubs.
DeSantis is a danger to public health.
Not surprising. A Trumpy relative said to me he wants the CDC and NIH disbanded because all scientists are liberal.
Good grief! Abolish science? Abolish medicine? What cave do these people live in?
More like what rock do they live under?
Regressive Ron would have parents praying away the gay and applying leeches to fight disease. His policies are completely hypocritical. Warrington Middle School in Pensacola was turned over to Charter Schools, USA, this year. Parents had no input into the process, and administrators painted a rosy picture of the new school. Now parents are angry because this black majority school operates like a police state, and uncertified people are ‘teaching’ their children. Where are the parents’ rights now? Parents should get their pastors to join them and get on the Escambia County School Board meeting agenda and demand that the district allow students to transfer to other schools under Florida’s “Controlled Open Enrollment Act.” They should also demand transportation since this school had nothing to do with choice. The board of ed. imposed the decision on these young people. https://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/other-school-choice-options/controlled-open-enrollment.stml
You mean you can’t give a kid a bandaid with that law???!!!! Smh
The right to deny health screenings for your kid?
This also supports the rights of abusive parents to get away with beating their children, even breaking bones and murder, with no worry they’ll ever get caught or punished.
Deranged Fascist DeSantis should have a campaign slogan that says,
“DeSantis for Child Abuse.”
Ronnie’s buddy Cocoran, appointed to destroy New College, is getting an increase in salary to 300K. It pays to carry water for Il Piccolo Mussolini.