Florida schoolchildren, starting in kindergarten, will soon learn the history of communism.
Behind a podium with a sign reading “ANTI-COMMUNIST EDUCATION,” Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Wednesday requiring the subject to be taught in lower grades.
It was also the 63rd anniversary of the United States launching the Bay of Pigs invasion, a failed attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro’s dictatorship in Cuba.
“We know that the Bay of Pigs was started because the island of Cuba had succumbed to communist tyranny,” DeSantis said during a news conference at the Hialeah Gardens Museum, which honors the efforts of the assault brigade 2506 from the Bay of Pigs. “We’re going to tell the truth about communism in the state of Florida. We’re going to tell the truth about the evils of communism.”
Under the bill (SB 1264), the Florida Department of Education would “prepare and propose” standards for “age and developmentally appropriate” instruction on the history of communism for all grade levels . Some concepts heavily emphasize the economic upheavals and restrictions on personal freedom seen in many communist countries.
“The Growing Threat of Communism in the United States and Our Allies During the 20th Century” is one of the required topics, which must begin to be taught in the 2026-2027 school year. The same goes for “the economic, industrial and political events which preceded and anticipated the communist revolutions”.
Florida students can currently learn about communism in a high school social studies class or in a seventh-grade civics and government class. A high school government course required for graduation also includes 45 minutes of instruction on “Victims of Communism Day” that covers communist regimes throughout history.
The bill passed with bipartisan support, with only seven Democrats from the Florida House and Senate voting against it.
State Rep. Anna Eskamani of Orlando, one of those Democrats, said she doubted the measure would be properly implemented, pointing to controversies surrounding the state’s textbook requirements and standards of black history.
Other criticism of the bill focused on the fact that it could potentially teach lessons related to communism to students too young to fully understand them. DeSantis responded: “Maybe we should sponsor a trip for all these Florida Democrats to come visit the museum here and learn about the brigade.”
Bay of Pigs veterans also attend bill signing
Also present at the news conference were members of Assault Brigade 2506, a CIA-sponsored group of Cuban exiles living in the Miami area that attempted an invasion.
“The most important fight against communism is the one fought in the classrooms,” said Rafael Montalvo, president of the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association. “That’s where the battle is right now, and this is going to be a tool that’s going to give us a victory in this area.”
The legislation also requires the Department of State, in conjunction with the Department of Education, to provide a recommendation to the Legislature by December on the establishment of a museum of the history of communism.
The measure further created the “Institute for Liberty in the Americas” within Miami Dade College, intended to “preserve the ideals of a free society and promote democracy in the Americas.”
USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida’s John Kennedy contributed. This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA TODAY Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Douglas Soule can be reached at [email protected].
