Pasco County school leaders will remove 'safe space' stickers from campuses to comply with Florida law
NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - Despite a lot of frustration and pushback from parents, students, and staff, Pasco County school officials are removing their "safe space" stickers across the district. It’s a move that many are concerned will be harmful to the LGBTQ community, but Superintendent Kurt Browning said his hands are tied.
In an email sent out to the district earlier this month, Superintendent Browning informed parents, students, and staff that the stickers would be removed from all schools in the district in an effort to stay in line with Florida's new "Parental Rights in Education Law," which bans lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade as well as material that is not deemed age-appropriate.
Image shows 'Safe Space' sticker
Browning stated in his email that he wants to remove any potential confusion that could come from something labeled as a safe space, such as a student believing that a conversation in a designated space would not be disclosed to their parent, a move that could violate the law.
The superintendent went on to say that it is also difficult to determine whether a student’s presence in a safe space is an indicator of their mental or emotional well-being, something the district is also now required to monitor and report to parents. To remove any potential confusion or misinterpretation, Browning said the district would be removing the stickers completely.
Miami-Dade school board votes against recognizing LGBTQ history month
The Miami-Dade School Board overwhelmingly decided against recognizing October as LGBTQ history month with an 8-1 vote, despite observing it during the last school year. If passed, it would have included a measure to teach 12th graders about Supreme Court cases that recognized same-sex marriage and prohibited employers from firing someone based on their sexual orientation.
READ: Miami-Dade school board votes against recognizing LGBTQ history month
There are people who are not on board with the changes. They showed up at Monday night’s school board meeting to make their voices heard, begging the school board and superintendent to change their minds.
The superintendent said he understood that the changes go against what many of the district’s teachers stood for, but he said the law is the law.
There has been a Change.org petition created and signed by a few hundred parents and staff members, but Superintendent Browning said he didn’t want to create legal issues for the district, and the decision is out of his hands.