Halt Florida’s Racist Education Policy

Do you know that a Florida policy tells students that the color of their skin — and not their school work — will determine their academic success?

Florida has set lower reading and math goals for all of its African American and Latino children, who makeup more than 50 percent of public school students. The State not only expects students of color to perform lower, but will now call their lower performance “success.”

• Ensures black and Latino children will have lower reading and math skills than whites.
• Lowered expectations will lead to lowered results.
• Violates the Civil Rights Act

All students deserve an equal opportunity to succeed. Robert Burns, a 14-year-old rising ninth-grader in Miami-Dade County, warns Florida not to underestimate him or other students of color:

“I’m more than what statistics or Florida thinks of me. When I found out they were going to set lower standards for me based on the color of my skin, I felt devastated. I don’t think it’s fair. I don’t think it’s right…If you expect 60, I’ll give you 60. If you shoot for the moon, I’ll land on the stars.”

Petition by:


• Southern Poverty Law Center

• The Official Complaint R.B. et al. versus the Florida Department of Education
• SPLC Files Complaint with DOJ over Florida’s Race-Based Education Goals
• Florida Passes Education Plan That Sets Goals for Students Based on Race
• Florida’s Race-Based Academic Goals Prompt Protest Petition

Sign the petition to Governor Scott asking for equal goals for all public school students! We must send our children the right message about education!