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Teachers, parents and advocates press Orange County delegation on school safety, curriculum and autism supports
Summary
Speakers addressed book bans and statewide curriculum restrictions, school safety and the proposed armed guardian program, and autism‑specific needs including elopement protocols and classroom cameras. Advocates asked legislators to restore local control and fund training and services.
Multiple parents, teachers and advocacy groups urged the Orange County legislative delegation to prioritize community‑based approaches to school safety, resist statewide curriculum restrictions, and advance protections for students with autism.
Stephana Farrell, a parent and leader with the Florida Freedom to Read Project, said state laws restricting curriculum and library materials have chilled classroom resources and that local control and funding are needed so educators can respond to students' needs. Several advocates cited the recent passage of statutes they said limited reproductive‑health lessons and materials and made teachers reluctant to accept book donations.
Representatives from Moms Demand Action and other community safety organizations said they support funding for community violence intervention and safe‑storage rules (House Bill 15). They opposed lowering the firearm purchasing age and opposed open‑carry expansions. Several speakers urged the delegation to prioritize trained school resource officers (SROs) over an armed guardian program, arguing SROs have training, accountability and integration into school communities that cannot be matched by ad hoc guardian programs; school staff and PTSA representatives said guardians lack consistent training, insurance and authority to de‑escalate and could increase risk.
Parents and advocates for children with autism — including Monica Carretero and Sasha Micky — urged action on bills addressing elopement (students leaving school sites), classroom cameras in self‑contained settings to protect nonverbal students, statewide protocols for missing students with developmental disabilities, and expanded funding for autism‑related services and training for teachers to obtain autism endorsements.
Representative LaVon Bracy Davis said she will refile a youth conflict resolution bill aimed at teaching de‑escalation and peer mediation in K‑12 settings. Several disability and autism advocates thanked Representative Paola Stark for supporting an autism bill and said they are working on language to address classroom safety and elopement.
Ending: Parents and advocacy groups asked the delegation to fund training for SROs, conflict‑resolution curricula, autism supports, and to take a cautious approach to implementing guardian programs — emphasizing training, accountability and local consultation.
