Florida’s House Bill 999 offers a terrifying preview of conservatives’ agenda for higher education. The bill, which was introduced in February, would grant Florida’s Board of Governors sweeping control over the state’s public universities and transform the state’s public education system into an incubator for far-right politics.
The law joins a wave of legislation across the country targeting so-called “critical race theory” or CRT, “diversity, equity, and inclusion” initiatives known collectively as DEI and academic tenure. Where I live in Texas, for example, the University of Texas system just suspended all new policies that promote diversity, equity and inclusion.
These measures will compromise students’ education, prevent schools from attracting and retaining faculty and funding, and increase bias in higher education. In Florida, professors have already begun censoring important course content, searching for other jobs and discouraging other faculty from coming to their state.
