Gov. DeSantis signs new law requiring instruction in public schools on the history and ‘dangers’ of communism

HIALEAH GARDENS, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday morning signed new legislation that requires instruction in public schools on the history and “dangers” of communism.

SB 1264 also creates the Institute for Freedom in the Americas at Miami Dade College and will rename the Adam Smith Center for the Study of Economic Freedom as the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom.

Under the bill, the curriculum would begin in the 2026-2027 school year and would have to be “age appropriate and developmentally appropriate” for all grade levels. The lessons also would be required to cover certain topics.

For example, the curriculum would have to include information about the “history of communism in the United States and domestic communist movements, including their histories and tactics.”

The proposed curriculum also would have to include lessons on the “increasing threat of communism in the United States and to our allies through the 20th century, including the events of the Cultural Revolution in the People’s Republic of China and other mass killings from communist regimes.”

Part of the debate about the bill has centered on whether it is appropriate to teach communism history to Florida’s youngest students.

Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat who voted against the bill, raised questions about what the history of communism curriculum ultimately would include.

“I find the intent of this bill to be more based on a preference on teaching that a political ideology is bad, versus the historical context around that,” Eskamani said.