Florida university professors say they're "cautiously optimistic" after court blocked part of "Stop WOKE Act"

Professors across the state are breathing a small sigh of relief after a federal appeals court upheld a preliminary injunction against part of the "Stop WOKE Act."

"It's quite welcome," said Zachary Leverson, an associate professor of global and sociocultural studies at Florida International University. "But also, it's perfectly in line with what I would expect. State government, in particular partisan state government, should not meddle or dictate the content of classroom materials."

In a 2-1 ruling issued Tuesday, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked Florida from enforcing part of the "Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (WOKE) Act," passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022.

DeSantis pushed for the law to prevent "indoctrination" in university classrooms, as it bars professors from endorsing precepts of critical race theory. It also bans instruction causing students to "feel guilt, anguish or other forms of psychological distress because of actions, in which the person played no part, committed in the past by other members of the same race, color, national origin or sex."

But professors like Leverson say the law instead made Florida's university students look like "they're incapable of original thought."

"They think these people are passive material who are forced into our classrooms and then professors sort of project ideas into their heads. That's not what instruction is at all. None of us are telling students what to think or even really how to think," Leverson said.

In a post on social media, DeSantis disagreed with the appeals court's decision and said he's seen "so many institutions get corrupted by ideology," calling critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts "discriminatory."

"State universities are funded by taxpayers and directed by elected officials and their appointees.  The state has both a right and a responsibility to ensure instruction at these universities is consistent with the underlying mission and to exclude indoctrination and ideological agenda," he wrote on X.

The ruling, written by Judge Britt Grant, an appointee of President Donald Trump, was critical of the state's argument, calling it "a breathtaking assertion of power."

"Hearing an idea you disagree with is not discrimination; it is an opportunity to come up with a better idea, or maybe even change your mind," Grant wrote.

Robert Cassanello, president of the United Faculty of Florida (UFF) and a history professor at the University of Central Florida, believes the ruling does more than just block the "Stop WOKE Act."

"What the 11th appellate court has done has confirmed that we as instructors in the classrooms are the content experts, and not the lawmakers, and certainly not the governor of Florida," Cassanello said.

Florida State University professor and UFF-FSU union president Robin Goodman said "Stop Woke" has had a chilling effect in the classroom for the past four years.

"It's the fear factor," she told the News Service of Florida. "When you're in the classroom, you're trying to do the best you can for your students and for your discipline, and now you have to worry if someone in your class takes something differently than the way you meant it and you could be fired."

The ruling, however, brought "cautious optimism" to Florida's faculty community, and she's received several emails from professors who are "really happy" about the outcome, even though there are still other avenues the state could take to enforce restrictions on instruction in other ways.

"People aren't used to good news anymore," she said.