In April 2024, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 1264, known as the “History of Communism” bill. In May 2025, David Randall, the Executive Director of the Civics Alliance, announced on the Minding the Campus website that he had served on the Florida Communism Standards work group.
“I’ve recently had the honor and the pleasure to serve on the Workgroup assembled by the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) to help draft Florida’s new K-12 History of Communism standards. I shouldn’t say anything about the draft standards in detail, since they haven’t yet been published, but my fellow workgroup members and the members of the FLDOE did an excellent job. Florida citizens should be happy when they see the final result. They’ll help make sure that Florida students learn the full and unvarnished truth about Communism’s terrible history.”
On Nov. 13, 2025, the Florida Board of Education approved the History of Communism Standards for middle and high school students. | Florida adopts new teaching standards on history of communism in schools
What do the critics have to say?
Critics warn Florida’s new teaching standards rehabilitate aspects of the anti-communist Red Scare
“The daughter of a Hollywood screenwriter who was imprisoned and blacklisted during the anti-communist Red Scare has decried Florida’s new social studies teaching standards that other critics have warned rehabilitate shameful aspects of the McCarthy era. The new Florida standards you write about are appalling,” Mitzi Trumbo said late Thursday in an email to The Associated Press. “History should never be rewritten to match the politics of the day, as history has valuable lessons to teach.”
What to know about how Florida will teach McCarthyism and the Cold War
“If I were a teacher, I would feel really scared by this,” said Tawny Paul, a professor of history and director of the Public History Initiative at the University of California, Los Angeles. Collectively, Florida’s sprawling new “History of Communism” standards span 29 pages, roughly three times the length dedicated to the teaching of American History (9 pages) and Civics and Government (11 pages).”
New Florida Curriculum on Communism is a “Dangerous Recasting” of McCarthyism
PEN America Florida Director William Johnson said: “This new unit is a dangerous recasting of McCarthyism as patriotism and dissent as ‘un-American.’ Florida’s new standards impose a single, rigid set of beliefs such as criticizing communism, when education should champion the exploration of diverse perspectives. A classroom should be a place where ideas meet, not where ideology reigns.”
Florida revives McCarthyism, anti-communism with classroom guidelines
“Historians asked by the Tampa Bay Times to review the proposal say the 30 pages of recommendations — more than twice the length of proposed standards for teaching civics — are skewed to promote a viewpoint rather than encourage critical thought.
“It’s a highly biased picture,” said Jonathan Zimmerman, a University of Pennsylvania professor who teaches about the history and politics of education. “It has an antiquarian ring. It sounds like the Cold War.”
How does this connect to Colorado?
It is interesting to note that in 2022, David Randall, the Executive Director of the Civics Alliance, attempted to influence the Colorado Board of Education to adopt American Birthright Standards. The Colorado State Board of Education ultimately rejected the American Birthright Standards, but the Woodland Park School Board adopted the standards in 2023.
Texas
Now, David Randall, along with David Barton, who sits on the board of the Truth & Liberty Coalition, and Jordan Adams, the CEO of consulting firm Vermilion Education, are all serving on the Texas Social Studies Advisory Panel.
Teach the Truth: Schools Are for Kids, Not Politics
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