On Wednesday, Miami-Dade’s School Board Committee called a meeting to review Item H-3: The Classical Education plan for Florida. 

The committee oversees training staff, selecting curriculums and rolling it out over the next three years. Item H-3, brought forth by Board Member Monia Colucci, was inspired by existing educations seen in private and public charter classical schools, with hopes to implement it in public schools across the county. 

This tentative plan seeks to return schools to the foundations of Western Civilization, known as the “back to basics” education model. Focusing on white, Western European and Judeo-Christian principles, this plan emphasizes educating students through the works and texts of the classical era. 

The curriculum is divided into three parts. First, elementary schools would emphasize grammar, knowledge and memorization. Middle Schools would hone in on logic centered around questioning. High Schools would focus on students’ rhetoric abilities, especially evaluating and arguing. 

This new plan has been increasingly popular among conservatives, as it is an alternative to the traditional public school model, which has been under increasing backlash by conservatives for its focus on race, gender and other relevant social issues. Gov. Ron DeSantis has been one of the many Republican lawmakers to encourage such curricula, trying to mandate courses in Western Civilization. 

However, this plan is facing criticism for its narrowing of students’ education. Leaving out important topics of discussion, such as race and gender identity, has many parents questioning the status of their child’s education. Overall, these parents are arguing that the curriculum has created a risk to a student’s well-rounded education, contributing to the efforts of existing educational restrictions in Florida.