At the request of the DeSantis administration, the Florida Department of Education approved a rule today barring public school classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity for all grades. The department is building upon restrictions from the Parental Rights in Education law, dubbed "Don't Say Gay" by critics, which focused on classroom instruction in kindergarten through third grade. The rule prohibits teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in grade four and higher unless "required by state academic standards" or part of a reproductive health course or lesson. Teachers who violate the prohibition could have their licenses suspended or revoked. The rule goes beyond legislation the Republican-majority Legislature is considering, which would expand the prohibition of classroom instruction through eighth grade. State Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said, "The teaching of our standards is what should be going on, and none of this material is covered in our standards." #lgbtq_civil_right