(NewsNation) — Florida’s Board of Education has announced new rules regarding bathrooms on college campuses and procedures to challenge books parents find offensive.
The restroom rule would mandate those at state colleges use restrooms based on their sex assigned at birth, not their gender identity. Faculty and staff could be fired if they use a facility that does not correspond to their assigned sex at birth.
The rule applies to both instructional facilities and student housing. Schools will also have to provide a unisex restroom.
The state also announced a change to the policies on challenging offensive books in schools. A new rules gives parents the right to appeal a district’s decision regarding a challenged book to a special magistrate.
The magistrate would not have the power to restrict books, but would be able to rule on whether districts had a policy regarding books with offensive material and if the decision followed that policy.
In another incident that prompted criticism, student leaders at New College of Florida were told to remove pins supporting Black Lives Matter or the LGBTQ+ community from their clothing and backpacks.
A board appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has already made other controversial changes at the school, including cutting gender studies and abolishing the college’s diversity office.