Starting with the 2026-2027 school year, which begins in August, Florida public schools will implement new standards for “History of Communism” for students in sixth through twelfth grade.
The content will address how communist regimes have been associated with poverty, hunger, political repression, and violence, and was approved by the Florida State Board of Education in November 2025.
The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) specified that they were developed by educators and content experts from Florida and will come into effect on August 3rd.
"With the adoption of the Communist History Standards, Florida leads the nation by providing students with a truthful and deep understanding of how communist ideologies suppress individual freedoms, abuse power, and inflict widespread suffering," stated the FDOE.
The curriculum encompasses the analysis of the regimes of Cuba, Venezuela, China, and the former Soviet Union.
Among the specific topics are the Cuban Revolution, Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward, the Tiananmen Square Massacre, and the Soviet five-year plans.
The standards approved in 2025 already included the shooting down of two planes from Hermanos al Rescate by the Cuban Air Force on February 24, 1996. The attack resulted in the deaths of Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario Manuel de la Peña, and Pablo Morales.
On June 30, 2026, the State Board of Education updated those standards to include the criminal charge filed against Raúl Castro for his alleged involvement in the downing.
Most of the content will be focused on two elective courses for high school. However, the Escambia County school district noted that related topics were also included in various descriptions of social studies courses throughout the public education system.
Additionally, state legislation requires dedicating at least 45 minutes of instruction to the Day of Victims of Communism, commemorated every November 7th. In Okaloosa County, this instruction will be incorporated into the mandatory U.S. Government course.
"Students will learn about communist ideologies, relevant historical figures and events, the experiences of victims under communist regimes, and the impact of communism on the world and in the United States. Instruction will also include comparisons between communism, totalitarianism, democracy, and individual freedom," stated the Okaloosa district in a statement.
Paul Fetsko, a member of the Escambia County school board, recalled that Florida once had a mandatory semester course on this subject in the past.
"It was a course on Americanism versus communism, a semester-long course that about 14 years ago was mandatory for all senior students," he explained.
The curriculum has not been free of criticism. PEN America described it as a “dangerous recasting of McCarthyism as patriotism” and warned that the standards could limit the professional autonomy and freedom of expression of educators.
Professor Eduardo Gamarra from Florida International University pointed out that the state was effectively creating an "ideology" and an "official manual" to teach communism, instead of allowing students to draw their own conclusions based on the evidence.
Fetsko, however, defended the approach: "I believe this is Florida's attempt to say: let’s provide young people with factual information about what the differences are and what the true implications of that ideology are."
The measure is the result of a legislative evolution driven by Governor Ron DeSantis, who in 2022 signed the law that established Victims of Communism Day in public schools.
In 2024, that mandate was expanded to include a comprehensive teaching on the history and global impact of communism although the initiative is set against a broader political backdrop.
President Donald Trump described communism at the end of June as “the greatest threat to the U.S. since World War II” and in November 2025 proclaimed “Anticommunist Week.”
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