miami – Miami-Dade teachers packed their bags to take complaints about Florida’s education standards abroad to the United Nations.
Renee O’Connor, the 2022 Miami-Dade Public Schools Teacher of the Year nominee, is on leave. She taught the African American History elective course and her AP course for her 12 years. That changed this summer, when colleagues at the middle school saw new guidelines to begin teaching students “how slaves acquired skills they could apply for personal gain.”
“That moment was the nail in the coffin for me,” O’Connor said. “When I’m in the classroom, I think I have to worry about what the principal will say and how the district will feel about the teachers who are standing up for themselves, for their students, and for this really important class. Since I’m not in the classroom, I have opportunities to go to Geneva and so on.”
Members of the Florida Community Justice Project invited O’Connor and three others to travel with a group scheduled to meet at the United Nations Human Rights Commission.
With representatives from Dream Defenders, Florida Rising, Power You Center for Social Change, Novo Collegian Alliance, and SURU, the community justice project is called “Florida: Shadows Over the Sunshine State.” A 16-page report was published.
The report, released Sept. 12, chronicles what the authors consider “an alarming and rapidly metastasizing development in Florida under Governor Ron DeSantis.” The report claims the national strategy is “stoking fear” in marginalized communities, restricting freedom of expression, suppressing truth in education and attacking immigrant communities.
CBS News Miami reached out to Governor DeSantis’ office via email and phone for comment. they didn’t offer it.
Last month, Florida Governor and Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. celebrated an American Legislative Exchange Council study that ranked Florida No. 1 in the nation for educational freedom. In this study, Sunshine State University ranked No. 1 in open recruitment, funding and loan programs.
“This new ranking is further proof that Florida is a national leader in education,” Governor DeSantis said in a September press release posted on the Florida Department of Education’s website. “By focusing on academic achievement, expanding school choice, and empowering parents, Florida continues to achieve unprecedented success in the classroom.”
“Florida’s commitment to education is evident through ALEC’s rankings, where Florida leads the nation in educational freedom,” Education Secretary Manny Diaz Jr. said in the same press release. “Florida’s commitment to universal school choice and protecting parental rights is what puts us ahead of other states.”
Still, the United Nations Human Rights Committee has invited a group from the Community Justice Project to testify on Florida’s issues in Geneva, Switzerland, next week.
O’Connor, Miami Northwestern High School student Ebony Felton, Florida New College graduate Madison Markham in May 2023, and Maven Leadership Collective founder Corey Davis will testify. All provided written statements.
Mr. O’Connor is scheduled to speak for one minute. Her speech is ready.
“I hope my voice can be a voice for teachers who are afraid to speak up or don’t have the opportunity to speak up,” O’Connor said. “I’m really doing this for all of my students.”