Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signs legislation increasing access to patriotic organizations and chaplains in public schools.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Toho, I'll tell you what, this is a nice gym.
00:03 And you got the football field under construction out there.
00:06 It's good stuff.
00:07 So I appreciate you hosting us.
00:09 It's great to be back in Osceola County.
00:12 And we have our superintendent is here, Mark Shanoff.
00:16 We have Pastor Barry Rice with Go Church, Crispin Johnson,
00:21 campus monitor at Toho High School,
00:24 and a parent here in Osceola County.
00:27 We have representative Bernie Jocks,
00:29 who's going to talk about the bills,
00:31 but also what he does outside of politics
00:35 that is pertinent to these bills.
00:37 And then we have representatives McClain and Amnesty.
00:40 And I want to thank them for their great support
00:42 on all of this.
00:44 We've worked really hard in Florida to support our students.
00:47 And that's a wide variety of things that we do.
00:52 We've done a lot, of course, to provide families with choice
00:56 to be able to choose the best school for their kids
01:00 and for kids to be able to be in the best
01:03 environment possible for them.
01:05 So you look at our charter programs.
01:08 We've got these charter schools that are public schools,
01:10 but they're not entitled to any students.
01:12 They've got to convince parents that they're doing a good job.
01:15 And we have almost 400,000 students
01:17 across the state in charter schools.
01:19 We also have our scholarship program.
01:22 We have almost 400,000 students on scholarships
01:26 that are in different private schools.
01:28 And then the vast majority of school districts in Florida
01:31 have really robust choice options
01:33 within the school district.
01:35 So it used to be you grew up in a neighborhood,
01:37 you went to that school, that was kind of it.
01:39 Now parents are really empowered with a bunch of choices.
01:43 And we think that that's important.
01:46 Some schools offer some things that the kids need
01:49 that maybe another school doesn't.
01:51 And giving that choice I think is really, really important.
01:54 Another thing that we've been able to do
01:57 is really increase Florida's commitment
02:01 to mental health in our schools.
02:03 So starting in 2019, we have required schools
02:08 to provide students in grades six through 12
02:11 at least five hours of mental health instruction every year.
02:16 And thanks to the leadership of Florida's First Lady,
02:19 we have ensured that mental health education
02:23 involves personal resiliency,
02:25 talks about perseverance, volunteerism, mentorship,
02:29 problem solving, empathy, citizenship, honesty,
02:33 a really comprehensive approach that is good for students,
02:36 particularly when you're going through some of these years,
02:40 which can be tough.
02:41 I mean, you talk about kids that are teenagers,
02:44 there's a lot that goes on in that.
02:46 And we wanna make sure that we're doing what we can
02:48 to help support that.
02:50 So we have really good resiliency standards.
02:53 We've also really supported concepts
02:56 of civic and personal responsibility,
02:59 because ultimately that helps when you have
03:01 to navigate different challenges in life.
03:04 If you look at the mental health funding that we've done,
03:07 we did 75 million in 2019, 2020,
03:10 which was the record at the time.
03:13 This most recent 22, 23, $140 million,
03:18 for mental health programs throughout the state of Florida.
03:21 And in this year's budget, we secured $160 million
03:25 for the FEFP for school district
03:28 mental health assistant programs,
03:30 as well as 5.5 million for evidence-based training
03:34 to help school employees identify and understand
03:37 the signs of mental health and substance abuse.
03:41 So this more than doubles
03:43 the annual educational mental health funding
03:46 that is being received compared to when I took office
03:49 back in 2019.
03:50 So we're proud of that, and we understand it's important.
03:53 Now, today, we're gonna sign two bills
03:56 that help enhance the student experience.
04:00 It provides students with even more resources
04:03 to be able to help them through difficult times,
04:06 make the most of their own lives,
04:09 realize all their opportunities and dreams.
04:12 So the first bill is House Bill 1317.
04:16 And what that does is it authorizes school districts
04:20 to bring in patriotic organizations to come to their schools
04:25 to encourage student participation and involvement.
04:27 And these groups are as follows,
04:30 Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America,
04:33 Boy Scouts, Boys and Girls Club of America,
04:37 Civil Air Patrol, Future Farmers of America,
04:40 Girl Scouts, Little League Baseball,
04:42 Marine Corps League, Navy SEAL Cadet Corps.
04:45 And so our view is, is bringing them in,
04:50 letting them come and make a pitch to students
04:52 about why they should participate in Little League Baseball,
04:55 why they should participate in Big Brothers, Big Sisters,
04:58 why they should participate in Future Farmers of America.
05:01 We think that that's good.
05:03 We think that that's good.
05:04 Not everyone knows what's all out there in the community.
05:07 Sometimes it can be a little bit numbing.
05:09 A lot of times it's just word of mouth
05:11 that maybe someone tells someone's mom,
05:14 "Hey, they have this, they have that."
05:15 And then you kind of go,
05:16 well, now you're gonna have these key groups
05:20 be able to come in, talk about what they do,
05:22 and ask the students to participate.
05:25 And I really believe that when you are engaged
05:29 in extracurricular activities,
05:33 athletics, some of these other things,
05:36 that's gonna be a net positive for these students.
05:39 And it's really important that kids remain active.
05:42 We see this where you have these devices,
05:46 you have people that are on computers a lot of times.
05:50 We didn't have that when I was growing up.
05:52 I mean, we had video games, but you got outside,
05:56 you did things, you were engaged in activities.
05:59 I think that that's much better.
06:00 So this really helps that.
06:02 And I think students are better off being involved
06:04 in any of these activities than just going home
06:08 and being on electronics for the rest of the day.
06:10 So we're excited about this.
06:12 I thank the legislature for doing that.
06:15 Now, if an organization comes,
06:18 because it's a free state,
06:21 we're not saying you have to be a part of any of this,
06:24 districts have to notify parents when new organizations come
06:28 and they have the ability to give parents the option
06:32 to withdraw consent from their child to participate.
06:35 So you don't want your kid learning
06:36 about Little League Baseball,
06:38 they don't have to learn about Little League Baseball.
06:39 That's up to you as the parent.
06:41 And we think that that's the right way to do.
06:44 So I'm excited to be able to sign this piece of legislation.
06:47 I think it will make a positive impact
06:50 and I know it will benefit students
06:51 who choose to participate.
06:53 We're also signing House Bill 931.
06:57 This establishes a statewide school chaplain program.
07:01 Now, it's our view that bringing in,
07:04 if school districts wanna bring in chaplains
07:08 to offer voluntary services,
07:11 that they're within their rights to do so,
07:13 but there's been a lot of confusion about that,
07:16 about what is permitted and what's not.
07:17 So this legislation clarifies that yes,
07:21 school districts and charter schools have the authority
07:24 to allow volunteer chaplains to be on campus
07:27 to provide additional counseling and support to students.
07:31 And you got a lot of these problems that kids go through,
07:35 there's some students where they need some soul craft
07:39 and that can make all the difference in the world.
07:42 And so these chaplains will be able to come
07:45 and provide services.
07:48 Now, this is again, similar to the other bill,
07:53 students can receive this support from chaplains
07:58 if their parents provide written consent for them to do so.
08:02 So if the parents aren't interested in that,
08:04 then the students don't have to be involved in any means.
08:09 Districts that have volunteer chaplains at their schools
08:13 must have a list of all the chaplains
08:15 on the district's website,
08:16 including the chaplains religious affiliations,
08:20 and then parents can make judgments
08:22 about whether any of those fit the needs
08:25 that they think for their kids.
08:27 But providing our students with more resources,
08:30 I think is better.
08:32 And I think that this is gonna go a long way.
08:34 We had some districts who had been doing this.
08:38 We had others that were worried about potential litigation.
08:42 Listen, you have a right to come and offer these services.
08:47 It's totally voluntary for a parent
08:50 or a student to participate.
08:52 No one's being forced to do anything,
08:54 but to exclude religious groups from campus,
08:59 that is discrimination.
09:01 You're basically saying that God has no place.
09:05 That's wrong.
09:06 That's not what our founding fathers intended.
09:08 So this is a good balance to be able to say,
09:12 you know, yes, Toho High School
09:16 is not a Presbyterian school or a Baptist.
09:20 It doesn't have a religious affiliation.
09:22 Like, we understand that.
09:24 But if these students have the ability to get mentorship,
09:28 to get counseling from faith leaders,
09:31 that is something that they should have the right to pursue
09:34 if that is what they want.
09:35 And this bill ensures that.
09:37 And I think it's gonna make a positive impact
09:39 on a lot of students throughout the state of Florida.
09:42 Now, some have said that if you do a school chaplain program
09:47 that somehow you're gonna have Satanists running around
09:52 in all our schools.
09:53 It's not just saying,
09:54 we're not playing those games in Florida.
09:56 That is not a religion.
09:58 That is not qualifying to be able to participate in this.
10:02 So we're gonna be using common sense when it comes to this.
10:06 So you don't have to worry about that.
10:07 (audience applauding)
10:10 And to me, just as a Navy veteran,
10:16 I mean, I really view the chaplain program in schools
10:20 similar to how we have military chaplains.
10:23 You would go and you'd have,
10:25 and you'd have different types of chaplains.
10:29 I mean, we had Jewish rabbis, we had Catholic priests,
10:32 we had evangelical pastors,
10:34 we had a whole bunch of different options
10:36 that people could do and pursue.
10:39 Many people in the military didn't pursue.
10:42 Many others did pursue.
10:44 And that provides, I think,
10:45 really useful resources for that.
10:49 We also had these chaplains.
10:50 I mean, when I was in Iraq,
10:52 they're out there on the front lines out there.
10:55 You got some of these priests,
10:57 they're administering last rites to people
10:59 who have been shot or been in an IED attack.
11:02 And so a lot of them used very much heroism as well.
11:07 So that's something that always stuck with me.
11:09 But I think that model of just having this available
11:13 as part of the services that you're providing,
11:16 like we do in the military,
11:18 we should be doing the same for our students here in school.
11:22 And I think, so what we're doing,
11:25 I think the founding fathers would be thinking,
11:27 "Yes, of course you should be doing that."
11:29 I think that they would absolutely believe
11:31 that this is an indispensable part of a good education.
11:36 So we gotta give students this option,
11:37 we gotta give parents this option.
11:40 And it really goes with our whole mantra
11:43 of let's empower parents and students
11:46 to have a wide range of options
11:48 when it comes to their education.
11:51 So I'm excited about signing these bills.
11:53 We're gonna get to do it here in a minute,
11:55 but first we'll hear from the superintendent,
11:57 got a couple other speakers,
11:59 and then we'll make it official.
12:00 So where are you at, come on.
12:01 (audience applauding)
12:04 - Governor DeSantis and guests,
12:11 welcome to Tehopa-Kaliga High School
12:14 here in Osceola County.
12:16 It's an honor that you have chosen our community
12:18 for today's signing ceremony.
12:21 We have a community of different backgrounds,
12:23 languages, experiences, and education levels.
12:28 But what unites us?
12:30 It's our faith.
12:31 Today's announcement is a transformative step
12:34 towards ensuring success for our students.
12:38 We have a standards-based curriculum
12:40 that ensures our students receive
12:41 the necessary knowledge and skills to be successful adults.
12:45 But how do we ensure that our students
12:46 receive the appropriate guardrails
12:48 that allow them to codify a strong ethical code?
12:51 In my 18 years as a teacher and a school-based principal,
12:56 the most successful years were those
12:58 when my schools had strong ties
13:00 with our faith-based supports.
13:03 This materialized primarily in the form of mentorship,
13:06 advocacy, and parental empowerment.
13:09 If not for the work of people like Pastor Josh Plant
13:13 from the Church on the Drive,
13:15 Pastor Jermaine Reynolds from Redeeming Light Church,
13:18 we wouldn't have graduated students
13:20 that went on to become electricians,
13:22 engineers, enlisted soldiers, officers, and coaches.
13:27 Their intervention and the mentorship and guidance
13:31 provided by faith-based leaders
13:34 and those that work in our communities in this room
13:38 set countless students on a course
13:42 for post-secondary success.
13:44 The day-to-day results of faith-based involvement in schools
13:48 and a student's ability to have various touch points
13:51 through various activities, it's incredible.
13:55 Increased achievement, attendance,
13:58 reduction in disciplinary infractions,
14:01 and again, additional touch points for every student
14:05 who otherwise would not have had that connection in school.
14:10 To lead an education, you have to have firm belief
14:12 that every student has gifts and a path,
14:16 and that faith-based supports can help
14:17 actualize those gifts and ensure that that path
14:21 is realized in many of our students.
14:24 Since my arrival as superintendent in Osceola County,
14:27 I have convened many community roundtables.
14:30 The first, however, was my faith-based advisory council.
14:34 The collective support of our faith-based leaders
14:36 in schools moves the mission of our district forward
14:40 and helps our students find meaning and motivation
14:42 in their potential.
14:44 Governor, thank you for your leadership
14:47 to ensure our students receive the supports they need
14:49 to be successful and for recognizing the role
14:53 that spiritual guidance can have
14:55 in enhancing the experience of our students.
14:57 - Great.
14:58 (audience applauding)
15:01 All right, good morning, everyone.
15:06 I'm State Representative Bernie Jacques from Pinellas County.
15:10 I see some friends here in the audience.
15:12 (audience applauding)
15:13 And I wanna start off by thanking you, Governor,
15:15 for your support of these great bills,
15:18 including House Bill 1317, which permits
15:21 and authorizes patriotic organizations
15:23 to come into our schools,
15:25 organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters,
15:27 a great organization that you're familiar with, Governor,
15:29 that allows youth to reach their full potential.
15:33 And it's an organization that I've been involved with
15:35 for over 10 years now, starting back
15:38 when I was a young prosecutor, fresh out of law school,
15:41 and I realized the trend early on
15:43 about some of the people who were prosecuting, right?
15:46 You can tell when you're looking at these files
15:48 on your desk that they were coming
15:49 from some of the toughest parts of town.
15:52 They may have not had the best home situation,
15:55 and they got caught up in negative influences,
15:58 and now they're facing a prosecutor in a courtroom.
16:01 And it was sad to see when this occurred,
16:06 and I had a job to do, and as a law and order guy,
16:08 I did that job well, but as I was doing that job,
16:11 I often thought, you know, what if we could have prevented
16:14 this from occurring in the first place?
16:16 And I started just thinking about myself
16:18 and that it could have been me.
16:20 You know, I grew up, and when I was growing up,
16:23 I did not live in the best parts of town,
16:26 and I was faced with negative options as well.
16:31 But the difference is I had very involved parents,
16:33 including a very involved father who was very,
16:37 very much instrumental and involved in my education,
16:40 knew all my teachers, got involved in the PTA,
16:43 knew the principal.
16:44 I mean, I couldn't get away with anything, Governor.
16:45 I mean, it was kind of annoying.
16:48 But the older I got, the more I realized
16:50 that this was a blessing,
16:53 and not every child had the same thing.
16:55 And so I wanted to be involved,
16:58 and that was my motivation for getting involved
16:59 with Big Brothers Big Sisters,
17:01 in order to be proactive on the front end
17:03 as much as I was on the enforcement side of things.
17:06 And so over 10 years now, the initial motivation
17:10 was to make sure that a kid, if I could prevent one kid
17:14 from ending up as a file on my desk as a prosecutor,
17:17 I would count it as a win.
17:18 And now, 10 years plus, I've now mentored two young men.
17:22 My current little brother, we got matched
17:25 when he was in fifth grade, and he's getting ready
17:27 to graduate high school next month.
17:29 And it just goes to show you
17:33 that this program really matters,
17:34 and the numbers speak for themselves.
17:36 Of the youth that participate in Big Brothers Big Sisters,
17:39 90% say that their mentors help them make better decisions.
17:43 93% are being promoted to the next grade level,
17:46 and 99% were not arrested
17:49 and involved in the criminal justice system.
17:51 And so--
17:52 (audience applauding)
17:55 And so while Big Brothers Big Sisters
17:59 has great working relationships
18:02 with a lot of the schools here in our state,
18:04 this bill will help us double down our efforts
18:07 to make sure to prevent these kids
18:10 from going down the wrong path.
18:12 It will make sure that these kids become
18:14 productive members of our society
18:16 and not end up as a file on a prosecutor's desk.
18:19 Thank you, Governor.
18:20 - All right.
18:21 (audience applauding)
18:28 Good morning, I'm Representative Stan McClain,
18:30 House District 27 Governor.
18:32 It's a great day in Florida when we can sign a bill
18:36 that will enhance the opportunities
18:38 and create a bill that will help our parents and students.
18:43 And I wanna thank you for doing that today.
18:48 Also, I'd like to give a shout out
18:49 to my Senate partner, Aaron Grawl.
18:51 It was my privilege to be able to shepherd House Bill 931
18:55 through the Florida House.
18:57 You know, we all know that our children
18:59 are facing a lot of challenges,
19:01 and certainly some of us grew up in a time
19:02 when it was not this challenging.
19:05 And we lived in Mayberry or wherever it was,
19:09 and we know that our times have changed
19:10 and things have become more difficult,
19:12 and our children are faced with more
19:13 and more challenges every day.
19:14 And it only makes sense that we not only think about,
19:19 we've done a lot of work in the Florida House,
19:20 and Governor, under your leadership,
19:23 in the world of education as it relates
19:25 to the intellectual ability for teachers to teach,
19:28 students to learn, we've done a lot of that work.
19:31 And we would sell our kids short
19:33 if we don't meet their, also find a way
19:36 to help make provision for their spiritual
19:38 and emotional needs.
19:41 Under the leadership of Governor Santus,
19:42 members of the Florida legislature,
19:44 we lead the nation by making a policy change
19:47 that will give our parents and students
19:49 another resource when facing the challenges of life.
19:51 Thank you very much.
19:53 (audience applauding)
19:56 - My name is Barry Rice.
20:03 I'm the pastor of Go Church.
20:06 And our church meets here on campus at Toho High School.
20:09 (audience applauding)
20:13 Today is a very exciting day for our students,
20:17 and I really wanna thank Governor DeSantis
20:20 and Principal R. Scott and Dr. Deshanoff, Dr. Shanoff.
20:25 Our opportunity to be here as a church in this school
20:32 and in this community has really made an impact
20:36 to the community.
20:37 Since 1996, I personally have had the privilege
20:41 of volunteering in the Osceola School System,
20:44 Orange County School System, Seminole County School System,
20:48 and Bradford County School Districts.
20:51 At Go Church, we have the core value in which we operate
20:56 that we are community engaged.
21:01 And the other is that we are servant-hearted.
21:04 Our heart is for these kids.
21:07 And today is a big day for our children, our youth.
21:11 Many of us that are sitting in this room,
21:14 we have made the decision to move to Florida
21:17 because of the great school system.
21:20 And today's bills is another step to prove
21:23 that this is a great school system.
21:25 It's a great state, and I'm very excited.
21:29 But the beneficiaries of this opportunity is the children.
21:33 Them having the opportunity to be influenced
21:38 and in a character-building way,
21:42 for kids to be influenced and have the opportunity
21:45 to go to a faith-based chaplain and other organizations
21:50 that will be able to partner with the schools.
21:54 We have been so honored to be able to coach on campus.
22:00 We've been so honored to be able to serve
22:04 at the concession stands.
22:05 We've been so honored to be able to serve meals
22:10 to the students during their activities
22:12 like drama performances and ROTC performances.
22:17 It takes not just teachers, not just educators,
22:22 but it takes a whole community
22:24 to build students of character.
22:28 And we're just so honored to be a part of this day.
22:31 We're so honored to be a part of this great school.
22:34 And we're honored to be a part
22:36 of seeing this bill come into action.
22:39 Praise the name of Jesus.
22:40 Thank you for your time.
22:41 (audience applauding)
22:44 - Good morning, I think it's Santa's.
22:50 Good morning, guests.
22:52 My name is Crispin Johnson.
22:53 I'm the campus monitor here
22:54 at Tohopakallaka High School.
22:56 I can't put into words how much I love my job
22:59 because being here, I get a chance to work with our staff,
23:03 our administration,
23:03 I get to work with our children every day.
23:06 One of the greatest things is the fact
23:07 that no day is the same, every day is different.
23:10 And not only are our kids going through things,
23:12 excuse me, not only are our kids going through things,
23:15 but so are our staff.
23:16 But I'm more than just a staff member, I'm also a parent.
23:22 I have a graduating senior this year,
23:24 and I have a middle school daughter that's in seventh grade.
23:26 Recently, we had to deal with the death of my grandmother,
23:30 and she lived with us for 15 years.
23:32 She was a staple for our family.
23:36 And it affected my children as students,
23:40 and it affected me as a staff member.
23:42 But I was blessed to have Principal R. Scott,
23:44 Ms. Parker, Pastor Barry, Go Church, there to help me.
23:48 And that's why I feel that this bill
23:51 is gonna be instrumental.
23:52 Having a faith-based person on campus
23:57 that can speak to the challenges that our staff have,
24:01 and the challenges that kids have,
24:03 and speak to them in a way that they can understand
24:05 is going to be life-changing.
24:07 Not only will it be life-changing,
24:09 again, for the staff, but for the children,
24:12 and it's gonna change the environment,
24:14 the atmosphere that we have on campus.
24:16 My family was encouraged by what this bill can achieve.
24:22 The support this brings to the school
24:24 can change the campus experience,
24:26 and that experience can strengthen the community.
24:28 Strong communities means a stronger state.
24:31 Thank you.
24:32 (audience applauding)
24:35 (audience cheering)
24:38 - Well, we're excited about these two bills,
24:43 and I look through the patriotic organizations.
24:47 I mean, so many of them, Little League, Big Brothers,
24:51 Navy, all that, like, that's, I mean, I was,
24:53 this has impacted me, both growing up and as an adult,
24:57 and I think it's really good.
24:59 And I'm also pleased that we're gonna have
25:02 a strong chaplain program in the state of Florida.
25:05 It'll be providing resources for those families
25:09 that wanna access 'em right here at school,
25:12 and that's something that's really, really significant.
25:14 So, as it used to be, I mean, when education
25:17 in the United States first started,
25:19 every school was a religious school.
25:21 I mean, that was just part of it.
25:22 The public schools were religious schools.
25:24 You know, there's been things that have been done
25:27 over the years that veered away from,
25:29 I think, that original intent, but the reality is,
25:32 I think what we're doing is really restoring
25:37 the sense of purpose that our founding fathers
25:39 wanted to see to education.
25:40 So, God bless the legislators who were involved with this,
25:44 and so anyone who's gonna participate in the bill signing,
25:47 you can come up right now, we'll make it official.
25:49 (audience applauding)
25:52 today is what date, it's 18?
25:57 (audience chattering)
26:00 today is what date, it's 18?
26:05 (audience chattering)
26:09 (audience chattering)
26:12 chaplains, no, we'll do the patriotic organizations first.
26:17 (audience chattering)
26:18 All right, today is what date, it's 18?
26:20 (audience chattering)
26:24 Who wants one of these?
26:38 Okay.
26:40 (audience chattering)
26:43 All right, I do have some more.
27:07 Anyone, students?
27:09 (audience chattering)
27:12 (audience applauding)
27:17 Thanks, everybody.
27:33 Thank you, Governor.
27:36 Thank you, thank you.
27:38 You guys have a lot of activities.
27:44 I'm just looking.
27:45 A lot more than when I was in school.
27:48 So, you've got, man, you've got,
27:51 well, cross-country volleyball, that had been standard.
27:56 Swimming had been standard.
27:57 You have bowling, you have men's and women's golf,
27:59 obviously football, you have, obviously, of course,
28:02 men's and women's basketball.
28:03 Weightlifting, soccer's been pretty standard,
28:06 track and field standard.
28:07 Flag football, in addition to regular football,
28:09 baseball, football, softball, competitive cheerleading.
28:12 Fishing, you got a fishing team?
28:15 Man, beach volleyball, wow.
28:18 So, good on you.
28:19 That's a lot of opportunities for students,
28:22 and so it's great to see that that's being done.
28:23 Okay, we have any questions?
28:25 Yes, sir.
28:26 (audience chattering)
28:30 (audience member speaking off-microphone)
28:35 Well, the question isn't whether we're gonna go to court.
28:45 I think they are gonna go to court to try to do it.
28:48 But just think about what the ACLU is saying.
28:51 This bill, when the chaplains come to campus,
28:55 the parents have to consent for the student
28:58 to receive services from there.
29:00 So, it's purely voluntary.
29:02 This is not imposing anything that anyone doesn't want.
29:05 And so, what the ACLU is basically saying
29:08 is that it's okay to discriminate
29:11 against religious organizations.
29:13 They think the church should be a second-class citizen.
29:16 They think you should not have the same access
29:19 to come to campus than any other student organization
29:23 or other types of groups would have,
29:25 that it's an inferior status.
29:27 The First Amendment was enacted to prevent that.
29:30 First Amendment was enacted to be able to ensure
29:34 that people weren't discriminated against
29:36 on the basis of religion or on the basis of their faith.
29:38 So, I think it's a bogus challenge.
29:41 I do not think it's gonna go anywhere.
29:43 (audience applauding)
29:46 And we're not gonna deal with it.
29:50 So, we will deal with it,
29:52 but we're not gonna entertain bogus arguments about that,
29:56 especially when the legislature was very attentive
30:00 to doing this in a way that, literally,
30:02 if this is something you don't want,
30:04 then it doesn't affect you at all.
30:05 You don't even have to worry about it.
30:07 So, they really went over above and beyond
30:09 to be able to do that.
30:10 So, it's good, it's valid,
30:13 and I think it'll make a difference for a lot of folks.
30:16 (audience member speaking off-microphone)
30:21 (audience member speaking off-microphone)
30:26 I think the districts are gonna have,
30:30 so there'll be guidelines.
30:31 This state, the state legislation authorizes it,
30:34 but I think you may see a different approach
30:36 in different school districts, and that's fine.
30:38 So, it's not necessarily we're gonna demand
30:40 that you do it one way,
30:42 but what we are doing is clarifying,
30:45 this is authorized,
30:46 this is something that you have a right to do,
30:50 and of course, within the guidelines that we did,
30:52 but I think districts have flexibility
30:55 in determining how they do it.
30:56 It's also gonna be just the fact
30:58 that the chaplain program on a district-by-district basis
31:02 is going to be a reflection of the underlying community.
31:06 I mean, there's gonna be probably more rabbis
31:11 in, say, Palm Beach County
31:12 than there may be in some other parts of the state.
31:16 There'll be more, maybe, Baptist pastors
31:19 in some parts of the state than in others.
31:21 That's just the nature of it,
31:23 and so I do think you'll see,
31:24 but it's not gonna be because government's
31:26 putting the thumb on the scale.
31:27 I think it's just because of the underlying,
31:29 we've got a diverse state.
31:31 We've got 67 counties,
31:32 and if you go to different parts of the state,
31:34 it's just, it's different, all part of the same family,
31:38 but I do think you're gonna see,
31:39 I think you'll see some differences across the districts.
31:42 (audience member speaking off-microphone)
31:47 (audience member speaking off-microphone)
31:51 So here's the, so I'm glad you asked that question.
31:54 Don't weaponize these book challenges
31:57 for a political agenda.
31:59 We don't have time for the nonsense.
32:01 We don't care about your performative efforts
32:03 to try to make a name for yourself.
32:05 That's not appropriate.
32:07 So when you have some school administrators or teachers
32:11 that are saying that somehow state law requires them
32:13 to take classic books off the shelves, that is a lie.
32:17 That is not true.
32:18 That is depriving students of a valid education.
32:22 Now, on the ones that the parents have had issues with
32:26 and that would lead to our transparency legislation,
32:30 there's no role for these pornographic materials
32:34 in the schools.
32:35 Why, are we doing so well on math and reading
32:39 that we can kind of, it's just not appropriate.
32:42 So I think that 90% of the things,
32:47 I mean, when they would say that somehow
32:49 to kill a mockingbird couldn't be done,
32:52 when that was on the state's summer reading list
32:54 for the Florida Department of Education,
32:56 don't tell me Florida law says you can't do that.
32:58 When they said you couldn't do a book about Hank Aaron
33:01 when that was the book of the month
33:02 for the Florida Department of Education,
33:04 don't tell us you can do that.
33:06 So stop the weaponization.
33:08 And we had one teacher put it, of course, a video out,
33:13 covered up every book in the classrooms.
33:16 Oh, the state, that's passive aggressive nonsense
33:19 and we're just not gonna tolerate it.
33:21 So we've not had problems.
33:24 Most of education,
33:25 we really shouldn't be having these problems.
33:28 I don't understand why they're trying to jam in
33:31 some of the materials.
33:32 Here's a good test.
33:33 If putting a, if I stood here with a photo
33:37 from one of these books and you guys wouldn't be able
33:39 to put it on your air,
33:41 then it's probably not appropriate
33:42 in a sixth grade classroom.
33:43 I mean, that's probably where we go.
33:45 (audience applauding)
33:48 All right, God bless everyone.
33:56 Thank you so much.
33:57 Yeah, we'll see.
33:57 (audience applauding)
34:01 (audience cheering)
34:04 (audience applauding)
34:07 [ Applause ]