Permission Required To Attend Black History Month Events At FL School

MIAMI, FL — Some parents and school district officials are concerned that IPrep Academy in Miami requires signed permission slips for students to participate in Black History Month educational programming in February, according to multiple reports.

Over the past three years, a slate of new Florida laws focused on parental rights in education has limited how certain topics can be discussed in the classroom, including LGBTQ+ issues and themes, gender and sexuality, Critical Race Theory, and African American history.

The permission form asks parents if they want their children attending schoolwide and classroom presentations “showcasing the achievements and recognizing the rich and diverse traditions, histories, and innumerable contributions of the Black communities,” WPLG reported.

“I was shocked,” parent Jill Peeling told the news outlet. “I’m concerned. I’m concerned as a citizen.”

Some Miami-Dade County School Board members expressed concern when they learned about the permission slips at a recent board meeting, NBC Miami reported.

“So where do we draw the line, as relates to, these areas are consistent with instruction?” Dr. Steve Gallon, board member, said

He added, “We understand that at the school district, we have to follow the law, but we have to have clarity about what the intent of the law is. What happens when a parent fails to sign that consent form? Is that student excluded from this experience? Is that student excluded from this instruction?”

Board member Luisa Santos, a graduate of Miami-Dade public schools, also shared her concerns.

“Are we going to then limit the experience that our students can have in our schools because, things that I remember doing plenty of in one week in school, from college visits to guest speakers to the DARE program, for example, will now require a permission slip?” she said. “Those experiences, whether it’s the arts or a guest speaker, a Holocaust survivor, they are the things that make our educational experience relevant to our students.”

The Florida Department of Education told Business Insider that the requirement of permission slips to attend these events is a “media driven lie.”

"Any insinuation that students need permission to study African American history is absolutely false," the department said.