Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation on Wednesday that requires public schools to teach the history of communism starting in the 2026-2027 school year.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation on Wednesday that requires public schools across the state teach the history of communism, beginning in the 2026-2027 school year.

The measure requires that students from elementary through high school receive systematic instruction on the ideological, political, and economic aspects of communism. The curriculum will explore the theory’s origins, its implementation across various countries, and the impact of communist regimes throughout history. The bill was signed at the Bay of Pigs Museum in Miami on the 63rd anniversary of the failed invasion.

“Many years ago, when I first became governor, I said we’re going to tell the truth about the evils of communism. We’re going to tell the truth about the unprecedented death toll of the 20th century at the hands of Communist tyranny; 100 million killed at the hands of communist regimes spreading from China to the Soviet Union to Cuba,” DeSantis said during a Wednesday press conference. “Those are the facts. And those are what we need to be very clear eyed about now.”

The Florida Department of Education is tasked with developing and periodically updating the educational standards for teaching the history of communism.

The law additionally establishes the Institute for Freedom in the Americas at Miami Dade College, in collaboration with the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom at Florida International University. This institute will focus on promoting democratic values and economic freedoms through a variety of educational programs and activities.

“It’s an incredible opportunity that we have in this community for our students and for our families to learn about the evils of communism,” said Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr., who joined DeSantis at the press conference.

Details on the curriculum components are presently scant, though Diaz Jr. noted that “we are going to penetrate higher education and allow our students in higher education to be exposed to the truth.”