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3w ago

Florida First to Adopt Heritage Foundation’s Phoenix Declaration for Schools

State leaders describe a non-binding principles statement signaling parental choice, curricular transparency, and a patriotic approach to civics and history.

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A student who misses 10% of the days in a school year -- enough to be considered chronically absent -- will lose opportunities for counseling and will have an increased risk of educational issues.

Overview

  • The State Board of Education voted unanimously to adopt the Heritage Foundation’s Phoenix Declaration, making Florida the first state to formally embrace the document as guidance.
  • Officials stressed the resolution is not a rule or law and carries no enforcement power, with Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas saying it sets an affiliation and outlines what the board supports.
  • The declaration emphasizes seven themes, including parental responsibility, transparency, character formation, academic excellence, cultural transmission, truth and goodness, and citizenship.
  • At the same meeting, the board approved social studies standards implementing 2024’s SB 1264 on the history of communism, including comparisons between the Communist Manifesto and the Bill of Rights and study of anti-communist figures and espionage.
  • The Florida Education Association and several public speakers criticized the move as ideological and politicizing public education, while board leaders framed it as a unifying vision for schools.