Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took another step toward creating the nation's leading "anti-woke" curriculum by appointing a Republican school board candidate, who lost his local district race, to another district's open seat, securing a right-leaning majority across the state's school boards.
Derek Barrs, a former Florida Highway Patrol troop commander and chief, lost his local school board race in August. However, DeSantis pushed Barrs into an open seat in a nearby district as soon as the previous candidate resigned just a month into her role.
If Barrs wants to be re-elected for the seat in 2026, he will have to move into the school district, but he said that is not on his mind at the moment.
"Right now my focus is not on the next election, but rather fulfilling this vacancy to the best of my ability and serving our community," Barrs told Flagler Live on Wednesday. "As someone with a strong commitment to service, and building relationships, I'm honored to have been selected to fill this role."
DeSantis endorsed Barrs during his run for the school board, so the appointment came as no surprise. With it, the governor now has a conservative majority across the board in Flagler County, one of the fastest-growing in Florida, per the Daytona-Beach News-Journal.
Although it is not the first time it has happened, according to Flagler Live, it is the first time all sides have aligned on the "parental rights" movement, also referred to as the "Don't Say Gay" law, which essentially prohibits public schools from instructing or discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.
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