What Americans Need to Know – RedState
By Chris Talgo
In 2024, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1264 into law, “requiring education in public schools about the history of communism.”
While some Americans may view such a law as unnecessary, I applaud DeSantis for standing firm and demanding that the true history of communism be taught in the Sunshine State’s public schools.
In the years since the bill took effect, the Florida Department of Education has been tasked with developing a set of educational standards so that teachers know exactly what content students should learn about communism.
In 2025, the Florida Department of Education approved new standards on the history of communism, “developed by Florida educators and content experts.”
“With the adoption of the History of Communism Standards, Florida leads the nation in equipping students with a truthful and in-depth understanding of how communist ideologies suppress individual liberties, abuse power, and inflict widespread suffering,” the State Board of Education said.
Not surprisingly, the new History of Communism standards, which went into effect this school year, have been criticized by local media and left-wing groups as “biased,” “highly biased” and a “revival of McCarthyism.”
However, this is an exaggeration that is not based on facts, but is rather alarmist.
Earlier this year I wrote a Guidance note titled “Teaching the Truth about Socialism in America’s Public Schools.” In this book, I pointed out that American public schools do a pitiful job of teaching American history and civics; a large percentage of young Americans want socialism, even if they can’t precisely define the term; and that social studies standards across the country have been watered down, particularly when it comes to the teaching of communism.
RELATED: Curriculum Standards Should Require Teachers to Teach the Truth About Socialism
Florida commemorates Victims of Communism Day as New York residents prepare to flee Mamdani’s rule
Keep in mind that I approach this question as a former public high school social studies teacher who only seeks to ensure that American students learn to think critically, not what to think. But I also have to admit that most of my colleagues in the social sciences did not agree with this mindset.
To defend this common sense law, I recently wrote a new Guidance note titled “History of Florida’s Communism Law: What Americans Need to Know.”
I ask and answer six common questions/complaints about the new law. Here is a brief summary:
- Is this law necessary? In a word, yes, because most American students are ignorant of the history and nature of communism, while they enthusiastically support communism in the United States.
- What does the law do? The law states that teachers “shall teach effectively and faithfully, using required books and materials that meet the highest standards of professionalism and historical accuracy, following prescribed curricula, and employing approved teaching methods…the history of communism. Such teaching shall be age and developmentally appropriate.”
- What specifically do the new standards on the history of communism include? In the sixth year, students discover “the ancient municipal systems and their effects on their respective societies”. In seventh grade, they “evaluate the effects of communist governments on individual freedoms, political participation and the economy.” In eighth grade, they “examine early attempts at communal living in American society and their effects on economic stability and societal prosperity.” In high school, they “analyze the intellectual, political and economic origins of communism.”
- Does Florida’s inclusion of the History of Communism standards replace other important subjects in the social studies curriculum? This is not a zero-sum game. The updated standards were designed to ensure that important topics such as “the history of the Holocaust” and “the history of African Americans, including the history of African peoples before the political conflicts that led to the development of slavery, the passage to America, the experience of slavery, abolition, and the history and contributions of Americans of the African diaspora to society” are not affected at all.
Additionally, the 2025 updates explicitly state that “faculty may facilitate discussions and use curricula to address, in an age-appropriate manner, the ways in which people’s freedoms have been violated by sexism, slavery, racial oppression, racial segregation, and racial discrimination, including topics related to the enactment and enforcement of laws resulting in sexism, racial oppression, racial segregation, and racial discrimination, including how recognition of these freedoms overthrew these unjust laws. »
- According to the law, will kindergarten students learn about communism? No. As the standards make clear, the history of communism begins in sixth grade, as a component of world history.
- Does the law prohibit teachers from discussing the positive aspects of socialist or collectivist ideas? The law does not contain any direct or indirect language that could be interpreted as promoting censorship regarding specific content. It is important to understand that the law, as mentioned above, only applies to the “historical accuracy” of content. Free and open inquiry, including thorough discussion of all viewpoints on the subject of communism in the classroom, is protected by freedom of speech.
Chris Talgo ([email protected]) is editorial director at the Heartland Institute.
Editor’s Note: Do you like RedState’s conservative reporting that attacks the radical left and the woke media? Support our work so we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use promo code STRUGGLE to benefit from 60% off your VIP subscription!
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Health-GettyImages-1422103897-9d699129bc6347df84a7a3ef3bad27ed.jpg?w=390&resize=390,220&ssl=1 "How Long Does Magnesium Take to Work for Sleep?")
