Florida becomes the first state to adopt the conservative educational plan from the Heritage Foundation

The state of Florida has become the first in the country to officially adopt the "Phoenix Declaration", an educational framework promoted by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative organization also known for its political project Project 2025.

The was approved by the State Board of Education at its meeting on November 13, held in Wakulla County.

The document, described by its authors as a guide to “promote the good, the true, and the beautiful,” establishes a series of principles that include parental choice, educational transparency, character development, and teaching based on “objective truth.”

With this approval, the public schools in Florida will be the first to implement this ideological framework, which aims to realign educational content towards values considered traditional and patriotic.

The Florida Education Commissioner, Anastasios “Stasi” Kamoutsas, defended the measure by arguing that “there is nothing wrong with teaching parental responsibility, curricular transparency, and academic excellence.”

“We want parents to have power. We want a transparent curriculum and academic excellence for all our students,” stated Kamoutsas.

"This reflects what we want to see, not what we want to prohibit," he added.

The official stated that the goal of the plan is to "align education with the foundational principles of the United States" and to foster love for the fatherland, respect, and discipline, in contrast to what he called "the imposition of progressive ideologies in the classrooms."

Not everyone welcomed the measure enthusiastically. The Florida Education Association harshly criticized the adoption of the Phoenix Declaration, labeling it as a “political campaign disguised as an educational declaration”.

"The students and the families of Florida deserve investment in their public schools, not a political commitment drafted by external groups," stated the labor organization in a statement.

Other educators also warned about the increasing workload and the growing political interference in the educational system.

Marihelen Wheeler, a retired teacher from Alachua County, stated that the state should “increase teachers' salaries before imposing more ideological tasks on them.”