Florida’s History of Communism Law: What Americans Need to Know

By Chris Talgo

In 2024, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1264, “requiring instruction in public schools on the history of communism,” into law.

While some Americans may consider such a law superfluous, I applaud DeSantis for standing strong and demanding that the true history of communism be taught in the Sunshine State’s public schools.

In the years since the bill became law, the Florida Department of Education has been tasked with developing a set of curriculum standards so that teachers know exactly what content students should learn about communism.

In 2025, the Florida Department of Education approved new History of Communism Standards, “developed by Florida educators and content experts.”

“With the adoption of the History of Communism Standards, Florida is leading the nation by equipping students with a truthful, in-depth understanding of how communist ideologies suppress individual freedoms, abuse power, and inflict widespread suffering,” the State Board of Education said.

Unsurprisingly, the new History of Communism Standards, which went into effect this school year, have been blasted by local media outlets and left-leaning groups as “skewed,” “highly biased,” and a “revival of McCarthyism.”

However, this is an exaggeration not grounded in fact, but fearmongering.

Earlier this year, I wrote a Policy Brief titled “Teaching the Truth About Socialism in America’s Public Schools.” In it, I highlighted that U.S. public schools are doing a pitiful job teaching U.S. history and Civics; a large percentage of young Americans want socialism, even though they cannot accurately define the term; and that social studies standards across the nation have been watered down, especially when it comes to teaching about communism.

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Bear in mind, I come at this as a former public high school social studies teacher who only seeks to ensure that American students are taught how to think critically, not what to think. But I also must admit that most of my social studies colleagues did not agree with this mindset.

To make the case for this commonsense law, I recently penned a new Policy Brief titled, “Florida History of Communism Law: What Americans Need to Know.”

I pose and answer six common questions/complaints about the new law. Here is a short summary:

Is this law necessary? In a nutshell, yes, because most American students are ignorant about 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 efficiently and faithfully, using the books and materials required that meet the highest standards for professionalism and historical accuracy, following the prescribed courses of study, and employing approved methods of instruction… the history of communism. Such instruction must be age appropriate and developmentally appropriate.”

What do the new standards specifically include about the history of communism? In sixth grade, students learn about “ancient communal systems and the effect on their respective societies.” In seventh grade, they “assess 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 effect on economic stability and societal prosperity.” In high school, they “analyze the intellectual, political, and economic origins of communism.”

Does Florida’s inclusion of 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 significant topics like “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 enslavement experience, abolition, and the history and contributions of Americans of the African diaspora to society” are not impacted whatsoever.

Further, the 2025 updates explicitly state that “Instructional personnel may facilitate discussions and use curricula to address, in an age- appropriate manner, how the freedoms of persons have been infringed by sexism, slavery, racial oppression, racial segregation, and racial discrimination, including topics relating to the enactment and enforcement of laws resulting in sexism, racial oppression, racial segregation, and racial discrimination, including how recognition of these freedoms have overturned these unjust laws.”

Under the law, will kindergarten students learn about communism? No. As the standards clearly indicate, history of communism begins in the sixth grade, as a component of world history.

Does the law prohibit teachers from discussing positive aspects of socialist or collectivist ideas? The law includes no 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 “historical accuracy” of content. Free and open inquiry, including robust debate from all perspectives about the subject of communism in the classroom, is protected under the freedom of speech.

Chris Talgo ([email protected]) is editorial director at The Heartland Institute.

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