Future of education uncertain as DeSantis targets DEI

Public educators all over the state of Florida are being asked to hand over their emails and explain their teaching plans. It’s part of new legislation from Gov. Ron DeSantis, and the effort has made its way to schools here in southwest Florida.

Some believe educators could start losing their jobs if they don’t comply with Gov. DeSantis and his strict new curriculum.

Dr. Peter Ndiang’ui has come a long way during his life, and in his journey across academics. Born in a small village in Kenya during a violent uprising, Ndiang’ui has seen the ugliest parts of conflict and social divide.

But his childhood taught him a unique perspective.

“Everybody, I think, has something that they connect with. And it is part of their life,” Ndiang’ui says with a smile. “The scriptures tell us, love thy neighbor. It’s a simple concept. Very simple.”

Ndiang’ui was a bright young student, eventually earning his doctorate degree. He found teaching brought him a special joy.

“There’s no greater calling than seeing somebody grow,” Ndiang’ui claims. “Grow, and you are a part of their growth. My teaching is not a job. Those students are part of my life.”

He first moved to Fort Myers to become the first African American professor ever at Canterbury School before moving on to teach at Florida Gulf Coast University. Over the last 20 years, he’s fallen in love with southwest Florida.

“We are part of the community. We are Americans now,” Ndiang’ui says as he describes his family. “We just enjoy what we do and who we interact with every day.”

Ndiang’ui’s lectures at FGCU became so inspiring, they eventually drew a special visitor.

Randy Henderson was the mayor of Fort Myers in 2019. He’d been sitting in on Ndiang’ui’s classes, trying to find ways to diversify city leadership when he realized the special opportunity right in front of him.

Henderson asked Ndiang’ui to head the first-ever Fort Myers Diversity and Inclusion Committee: A group of 18 men and women from all different types of backgrounds, ethnicities and life experiences. At the time, Henderson described the committee’s goal.

“We can collect data and examine it. Come back and identify ways we’re doing good, identify ways we can do better,” Henderson told WINK News in a 2019 interview. “They do it from the goodness of their heart.”

The group was formed just four years ago and still exists today, but words like diversity and inclusion have become controversial terms, as noted at a roundtable hosted in Tallahassee last month.

“It’s been used in the administrative apparatus of universities to try to impose not diversity of thought, but to try to impose uniformity of thought,” Florida Gov. DeSantis said. “And instead of inclusion, the people that dissent from this orthodoxy are actually excluded and marginalized.”

“We’ll make sure we get back to educating our kids not indoctrinating,” Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr. added. “And it’s so incredibly important that we delve into this issue in higher ed, both federal state college system and university system.”

Numerous “anti indoctrination” bills introduced across the last two years, or as critics refer to them: Anti Woke Acts, have created concern from some in the public education space.

The new bills aim to prevent teachings and treatment that suggest a person is privileged or oppressed based on their race, color, sex or national origin.

Introduced in 2022 by Gov. DeSantis, the “Individual Free Act” – or, as critics refer to it – the Anti-Woke Act – has created concern from some in the public education space. It prevents teachings at schools and workplaces that suggest a person is privileged or oppressed based on their race, color, sex or national origin.

But the impact could be wide-ranging.

“There are programs for different people from different backgrounds, different religious backgrounds, different ages,” Dr. Jenifer Jasinski Schneider explains.

Dr. Jasinski Schneider teaches literacy in the Department of Education at the University of South Florida. She says diversity and inclusion improve the experience in the classroom and enhances the product at businesses.

“It brings different ideas, different backgrounds and experiences. And that helps your business, your industry,” Jasinski Schneider says, worrying that the new initiative could hurt the Sunshine State.

“When you try to target that for, for what is a false understanding of all of this, it’s very damaging.”

It could also have a broader reach on Florida economics. Diversity, equity and inclusion requirements must be met to get some forms of government funding and contracts.

“This is so damaging to the institutions as a whole,” Jasinski Schneider explains. “It’s not just the instant damage, but the long-term damage of the grants and the professional reputations of people and all of that.”

DeSantis has been open about state government evaluating diversity and inclusion programs and curriculums. Lawyers from Tallahassee have contacted FGCU and asked for emails from professors – including Ndiang’ui.

No reason has been given, and professors do not know if or how they are being evaluated.

“The search word was anything on diversity, equity and inclusion,” Ndian’gui says, describing what emails he was asked to provide. “We give the emails. I have not gotten any feedback. If they want something else, that’s it, we’ll do it.”

As a professor of diversity and inclusion, there’s no gray area about what Ndiang’ui teaches. But as his emails are sifted through, and his curriculum is reviewed, he offers no resistance.

“We’re going to talk it out. We’re going to move on together,” Ndiang’ui says hopefully. “We’re going to stand for the truth. For the goodness… Love will always prevail. Justice will always prevail.”

WINK News will continue to follow changes throughout Florida’s public education system, as well as Dr. Ndiang’ui’s experience.

House Bill 999 was most recently scheduled for another committee reading but has not yet been passed. If it is passed, it will become effective July 1, 2023.

We have reached out to Gov. Desantis’ office for more information, but have not gotten a response.

Contact your local elected official

Check the bill’s latest status

View the DeSantis Education Roundtable in its entirety