Florida Schools May Soon Ban Discussion of Menstruation in Class

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In Tallahassee, Florida, a new bill is going to block any talks about menstrual cycles and sexual topics in elementary schools. Rep. Stan McClain, the sponsor of this bill, wants only the grades from 6th to 12th to be allowed to talk about human sexuality, STD’s and those related subjects. He recently clarified that conversations about periods would also only take place in Grade 6 or higher.

State Rep. Ashley Gantt, who used to be a teacher in public schools, asked a question: “If young girls get their period during 4th or 5th grade, will that prevent them from talking about it since they are below 6th grade?” McClain replied saying “Yes.” Gantt pointed out that girls as young as 10 years old can also start having periods.

In the House Education Quality Subcommittee, Republicans managed to pass a vote on Wednesday with 13 votes ‘for’ and 5 votes ‘against’. This new law would allow parents to disagree with books or school materials their kids read or learn about. It would also make sure that students are taught that everyone’s gender is determined at birth based on biology. Lastly, this law would increase monitoring of educational materials by the state Department of Education.

McClain said a new bill aims to make sure everyone in Florida’s 67 school districts learn the same sex education, and it also provides more ways for parents to stop their kids from reading materials which are not suitable for them.

In the meeting, Gantt asked if teachers can get into trouble if they talk about periods with younger students.

She raised her concern that teachers will not feel safe to have these discussions with young girls.

McClain said he does not want the bill to have bad intent, and he is okay with some changes being made to it. The bill must be approved by another committee before it can reach the House floor and a similar one is being discussed in the Senate. An email was sent Saturday to Governor Ron DeSantis to ask for his opinion, as he might later run for president in 2024.