- About
- Programs
- Resources
- For AFT Higher Ed Members
- Academic Freedom
- Shared Governance
- Political Interference in Higher Ed
- Racial Justice
- Diversity in Higher Ed
- Responding to Financial Crisis
- Privatization and OPMs
- COVID-19 Pandemic
- Contingent Faculty Positions
- Tenure
- Workplace Issues
- Gender and Sexuality in Higher Ed
- Targeted Harassment
- Intellectual Property & Copyright
- Free Speech on Campus
- Civility
- Publications
- Data
- News
- Membership
- Chapters
A Threat to Democracy: Florida's Agenda to Dismantle Public Higher Education
Abstract:
The current assault on academic freedom central to the public education agenda of Florida’s governor and legislature, and the accompanying erosion of a more inclusive and democratized landscape of power, provide a disturbing glimpse into the dystopian society we might anticipate under a potential DeSantis presidency. This analysis of two (among many) state laws—H.B. 7: the Individual Freedom Act, also politically branded as the Stop WOKE Act (Florida House 2022); and S.B. 266: Higher Education (Florida Senate 2023b)— explores the laws’ antidemocratic purposes, operationalization, and impact. We offer as context the historical opposition to academia that includes minoritized perspectives. Though H.B. 7 has been effectively challenged in the Eleventh Circuit Court, both laws have created a chilling effect in many institutions.
Download "A Threat to Democracy: Florida's Agenda to Dismantle Public Higher Education" or read below.
