Florida Board of Education comes to Miami, faces criticism and can't escape controversy

For the first time in seven years, Florida’s Board of Education held a meeting in Miami Wednesday at Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus. 

These days, wherever the state Board of Education meets, some controversy is sure to follow. On Wednesday, the board ordered the Florida High School Athletic Association to use the word “sex” instead of “gender,” as part of a larger dispute with the federal government, which bars discrimination based on gender identity. That was just one item on the agenda.

The meeting started with the commissioner of education, Manny Diaz, bragging that U.S. News has ranked Florida first in the country for overall education outcomes, including K-12 and the university level. 

“They demonstrate that when we work together and set high expectations and focus on continued improvement, we can achieve extraordinary results,” Diaz said.