A Central Florida high school required parents to sign a permission slip for students to watch a Disney film, prompting some to suggest Gov. Ron DeSantis’ education laws are excessive.
Sophomore students attending Boone High School decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day last week by hosting a “Rom-com movie night” on the football field after classes ended, according to WFTV, an ABC affiliate in Orlando. The teens voted to watch “Tangled,” a PG-rated animated film.
Walt Disney Animation
It was an innocuous school-sanctioned event that would have caused little stir in the past.
But the new Parental Rights in Education law championed by DeSantis has now saddled such activities with red tape. Under the law, parents must fill out a permission slip before any school-sponsored event.
Some parents told WFTV that the influx of permission slips is becoming burdensome.
“I had to sign a permission slip for my child who could drive himself to see it in a movie theater,” Judi Hayes told the outlet.
Parents like Hayes said they must sign a new permission slip for after-school programs and events almost every week.
“It seems like it’s just it’s out of control. It’s every single activity. And it’s burdensome on the staff because they have to chase down permission slips. The club’s sponsors are getting frustrated and giving up because it’s too much work,” Hayes said.
Hayes added that she even had to sign a form so her child could receive pre-calculus tutoring with their teacher after school. The teacher referenced the Parental Rights in Education law in notes to parents explaining why they were being asked to sign a permission slip.
While some parents have recommended signing just one permission slip at the beginning of the year instead of dozens over several months, the law requires parents and guardians to be notified beforehand of any school-sponsored activities before, during, or after school.
Representatives for Boone High School and Orange County Public Schools did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
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Criticism of the Parental Rights in Education law — dubbed the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill by its opponents — stems back to March 2022 when DeSantis signed the bill. DeSantis said the bill is an answer to what he deemed “woke” ideology, but critics say the laws discriminate toward the LGBTQ+ community and others.
Similar bills have caused discontent in Florida, including the Parents’ Bill of Rights.
This month, parents in Miami were asked to sign permission slips to allow their children to participate in Black History Month activities.
One parent told WPLG, an ABC affiliate in Miami, that they were shocked by the permission slip, which would allow parents to remove their children from classes highlighting Black accomplishments.
“I’m concerned as a citizen,” she said.
Miami-Dade School Board member Steve Gallon told the outlet that the policy aligned with a state board rule, an extension of the Parents’ Bill of Rights.
“Something feels very off here, and the fact that the school needs to cover themselves against the state feels even worse,” Gallon added.
