Listen:
Students, professors, and supporters of New College filed a lawsuit against the University System of Florida’s Board of Governors and New College Board of Trustees over a law that limits public college instruction. However, one Board of Trustees member welcomes the suit.
Governor Ron DeSantis appointed six conservative members to the Board of Trustees in January and the school has seen many conservative changes since then. Amy Reid is the director of Gender Studies and Faculty Representative on the Board. She says the timing was no mistake.
“They made that announcement on January 6th to signal both to those of us at New College and to the larger right-wing echo chamber that they intended to carry out an assault on the values of American democracy”
So when a group of alumni and supporters dedicated to “saving” New College from the right-wing takeover sued the school’s trustees as well as the University System of Florida’s Board of Governors and the state’s education commissioner over a new Florida law, Reid was pleased.
“Despite the fact that I’m a named defendant, I’m hoping that my colleagues will prevail.”
The law is Senate Bill 266. It limits what public colleges can teach about racism, sexism, and oppression. They’re asking a judge to block the state from enforcing the 2023 law and to declare that the measure is unconstitutional.
