Signed into law by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in Hialeah Gardens on April 17th, Florida senate bill “History of Communism” (SB 1264) requires instruction on communism for students in K-12 public schools, though the lessons must be ‘age appropriate and developmentally appropriate’ -however the Department of Education decides to interpret that as- while covering certain topics.
DeSantis signed the bill on the 63rd anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion, the last attempt by Cuban exiles to overthrow the communist regime of Fidel Castro. The new law will go into effect in the 2026-2027 school year and will include topics like the history of communism in the U.S. and domestic communist movements, their tactics, atrocities committed in foreign countries under the guidance of communism, and the economic, industrial, and political events that have preceded and anticipated communist revolutions.
The lessons will go further into the communist policies of Cuba and the spread of communist ideologies throughout Latin America- including the roots of the Communist Party of Cuba and guerilla forces- comparative discussion of political ideologies, such as communism and totalitarianism, which conflict with the principles of freedom and democracy ‘essential to the founding principles of the U.S.,’ and finally, the increasing threat of communism in the U.S. and to its allies through the 20th century. This includes the events of the Cultural Revolution in the People’s Republic of China and other mass killings from communist regimes. Basically, the new law adds on to existing Communist history standards to prepare students to ‘withstand indoctrination on Communism at colleges and universities.’
The bill will create the Institute for Freedom in the Americas at Miami-Dade College at the Freedom Tower in downtown Miami and will partner with Florida International University’s Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom to offer workshops, symposiums, and conferences. It will rename Adam Smith Center for Study of Economic Freedom as the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom. There are also plans to create a museum on the history of communism, though the Department of State and the Department of Education are required to give a recommendation to the Legislature no later than Dec. 1 on what the money would be going towards.
“My view is we might as well give them the truth when they are in our schools, because a lot of these universities will tell them how great communism is, so we are setting the proper foundation,” Governor Ron DeSantis said at a news conference at the event. “Not only is it lost about the evils of communism, you go to a lot of institutions in our own country, a lot of these colleges, you know, they try to rehabilitate communism, they try to whitewash communism… Sometimes they’ll say, ‘well true communism has never been tried,’ all this, so there’s apologists for communism in our society.”
“We’re gonna tell the truth about communism in the state of Florida. We’re gonna tell the truth about the evils of communism,” DeSantis said. “We’re gonna tell the truth about the unprecedented death toll of the 20th century at the hands of communist tyranny, 100 million killed at the hands of communist regimes spreading from China to the Soviet Union to Cuba…. We will not allow our students to live in ignorance, nor be indoctrinated by communist apologists in schools. To the contrary, we will ensure students in Florida are taught the truth about the evils and dangers of communism.”
“All of this will be spread across the curriculum K through 12,” said Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr, since the Department of Education will draw up academic standards for the lessons. “It is vitally important that every student learns about the dangers of communism… I know firsthand the evils that communism brings, and I am proud to stand by Governor DeSantis as he signs this legislation to ensure Florida remains the bastion of freedom.”
This bill follows a series of actions targeting communism. There was a proclamation issued by Ron DeSantis declaring November 7th Victims of Communism Day, which was followed by legislation in 2022, HB 395, to enshrine Victims of Communism Day in state statues. Florida’s public-school students already encounter various lessons on communism in high-school social studies classes and in a seventh-grade civics and government course. A high school required U.S. government class also includes 45 minutes of instruction on “Victims of Communism Day.” Instruction about how victims suffered under these regimes through poverty, starvation, forced migration, violence, and suppression of speech.
However, only time will tell what exactly this new instruction will look like, especially at grade levels like kindergarten.
