(MIAMI)— PEN America today criticized Florida’s new social studies standards that established a unit on “The History of Communism” for grades 6-12, calling it a “dangerous recasting” of McCarthyism as patriotism.
PEN America Florida Director William Johnson said: “This new unit is a dangerous recasting of McCarthyism as patriotism and dissent as ‘un-American.’ Florida’s new standards impose a single, rigid set of beliefs such as criticizing communism, when education should champion the exploration of diverse perspectives. A classroom should be a place where ideas meet, not where ideology reigns.”
The Florida Department of Education, which adopted the standards last week, had said the new unit on communism was a response to a “resurgence of communist ideologies across the United States and throughout the world,” noting “it is more important than ever for students to understand the catastrophic failures and human suffering caused by communist regimes.”
Historians quoted in the Tampa Bay Times called this new standard “skewed,” “highly biased,” and reflecting a resurgence of Cold War-era propaganda.
The new social studies standards stem from state Senate Bill 1264, “History of Communism,” passed in 2024. PEN America has described bills like this one as “delineating what viewpoints must be taught in such a manner as to potentially restrict educators’ professional discretion, and impose an ideological constraint on the freedom to learn.” Given Governor DeSantis’s prior statements about the “evils of communism,” these standards are likely to chill the speech of educators and compel them to only discuss certain viewpoints.
In 2023, the state Board of Education approved African American history standards that required educators to teach that enslaved people “developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” The standards were widely criticized as a defense of slavery.
Since 2021, PEN America has tracked the onslaught of laws and policies nationwide that censor and restrict the freedom to learn and teach. PEN America has become a national leader in defending students, teachers, and faculty against legislative infringements on free expression in the classroom. PEN America’s Index of Educational Gag Orders is updated regularly.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Suzanne Trimel, [email protected], (201) 247-5057