In Florida schools, shrinking freedom and growing mental health concerns | Opinion

The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory in 2021 pointed to “unprecedented stresses” facing youth and escalating rates of mental illness. The latest report from the surgeon general highlights an epidemic of loneliness and isolation. Nationally, 22% of high school students report seriously considering suicide. Girls, Black youth and LGBTQ+ youth are at highest risk. Even pre-pandemic, long waitlists, high costs of care, inconsistent insurance coverage, insufficient providers and persistent stigma left roughly half of Florida’s children with mental health disorders without care. And yet, Florida is ignoring science, promoting fear and harming children’s mental health by restricting their freedoms to read, learn and express themselves.

Don’t say gay: Florida’s Board of Education extended House Bill 1557, the so-called Parental Rights in Education law, also known as Don’t Say Gay, to all grades, banning instruction about gender or sexuality. But research shows that LGBTQ+-inclusive school climates reduce bullying, depression and suicidal thoughts for all youth.

Don’t say trans: Florida codified a ban on social gender transitions for minors despite recommendations by the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, and American Academy of Pediatrics and warnings about the “tragic health consequences, both mental and physical” from ending gender-affirming care.

Don’t say race: House Bill 7 ended critical race theory in schools despite no evidence of it being taught. Instead, the Stop WOKE Act has interfered with culturally enriching teaching practices despite research showing that connecting instruction to their lives and identities benefits all students.

Don’t say Social Emotional Learning (SEL): Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. instructed school superintendents to stop using SEL curriculum stating it had “no place in Florida’s classrooms” despite hundreds of studies showing long-term benefits for student academic performance and well-being.

Don’t say health risk: Florida’s Department of Education withdrew from the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) used nationally over three decades despite research showing that screening and monitoring reduce health risks and improve youth care. This puts Florida counties at risk for losing millions of dollars for prevention.

Don’t say read: House Bill 1467 brought scrutiny to school libraries and reading materials that resulted in banned books. Among those books removed from classrooms and school libraries, 41% have LGBTQ+ themes, 40% contain protagonists of color and 21% directly address race and racism. But research shows that all students demonstrate increased empathy and emotional intelligence after reading about characters from diverse backgrounds and histories.

Don’t say Black: Florida’s public schools won’t offer the College Board’s AP course on African American Studies, but research shows that ninth graders enrolling in ethnic studies courses increased attendance by 21% and GPAs by 1.4 points.

Don’t say period: House Bill 1069 postpones health education until sixth grade and prohibits students from learning about menstruation. But girls can begin menarche even earlier than age 10, and research shows menstruation education reduces anxiety and improves girls’ knowledge, confidence and competency to care for their menstrual health safely and comfortably.

Say guns: House Bill 543 allows Floridians to carry concealed weapons without training or government permits despite increasing violent crime rates in states passing similar regulations. Since January, 179 people have been killed or injured in school shootings.

Don’t say gay doesn’t turn gay kids straight. Stop woke doesn’t change history. Denying health care doesn’t make transgender youth conform to gender norms. But these laws do create psychologically unsafe classrooms where kids can treat one another with less dignity, increasing risk for anxiety, depression, isolation, loneliness, self-harm and suicide. By teaching prejudice instead of perspective taking, which students will be empowered? Florida’s youth deserve to learn in classrooms that promote courage and compassion, not hate and bigotry.

Dr. Stacy Frazier, is professor of applied social and cultural psychology, and Dr. Elisa Trucco is associate professor of clinical science in child and adolescent psychology, at Florida International University in Miami. The opinions expressed are their own and not the university’s.