Florida’s Letter Misses The Mark, Education Action Alliance Demands Schools Center on Student Success

Phoenix, AZ — Florida Education Commissioner Kamoutsa's recent letter highlighting the important rights that parents in Florida already hold. While it is clear that parental involvement is a key factor in student success, Education Action Alliance believes it’s equally important to consider how we create learning environments where students feel supported, understood, and empowered to succeed on their own terms.

While parents do have the right to oversee their children’s education, as school communities, we must ensure that our educational system also evolves to meet the unique needs of every student. 

“Students in Florida learn best when they are in an inclusive, supportive and affirming environment. What the memo from the new Commissioner of Education does is remind Florida families that our state legislature has done its best in the past four years to remove those educational safeguards and further marginalize our most vulnerable students. We need compassion for our public school youth, not state sanctioned bullying.” - Jen Cousins, Chair, GLSEN Central Florida. 

Schools are still obligated to ensure that their students have learning environments that are free from bullying, harassment, and discrimination; and schools can and should consider policies and resources that holistically consider student success in and beyond the classroom:

• Fostering emotional and mental health: With the growing mental health awareness and challenges students face, we need more resources and support for counselors, mental health programs, and creating school environments that promote emotional well-being.

• Personalized learning: Not all students learn in the same way, and a one-size-fits-all approach is insufficient. We need policies that allow for differentiated instruction and greater flexibility, enabling teachers to adapt their methods to best support each student’s learning style and pace.

• Support for marginalized students: Ensuring that students of all backgrounds—whether they be from different racial, socioeconomic, or neurodiverse groups—receive tailored support is essential to student success. Policies should focus on closing achievement gaps and providing equitable opportunities so every student can thrive.

• Practical life skills: In addition to traditional academics, there should be a stronger focus on teaching students skills that will benefit them in the “real world”, including financial literacy, critical thinking, and social-emotional communication.

Ultimately, family engagement is crucial,  and it’s the students who need to feel that the educational system is truly designed to meet their needs and provide them with the tools to thrive, not just as students, but as individuals capable of contributing meaningfully to society.

Education Action Alliance works to engage the entire school community to work together toward policies that not only empower parents but also support students in every aspect of their development. We want all students to thrive and achieve success at school and beyond. 

Email: media@educationactionalliance.org

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Education Action Alliance envisions a future where all queer students thrive in school. Every student has the right to be affirmed and supported at school—but for many queer* students, this promise is broken. When these students are free to learn without discrimination, the entire school community thrives. Education Action Alliance educates, advocates, and organizes for inclusive schools where all queer students are valued and inspired to reach their full potential.

* We use the word queer to reflect a broad spectrum of LGBTQIA2S+ identities, including students who are intersex, asexual, nonbinary, questioning, or still exploring how they identify. This is the language many young people in our community use to describe themselves today—and we honor that by using the terms that reflect how they see and celebrate their own identities. We recognize that for some, queer carries painful history. We choose it with care, knowing that it has been reclaimed by a new generation as a word of pride, power, and possibility—and that it reflects the future we’re working to build.