House bill aimed at strengthening Florida civics education

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A bill aimed at strengthening civics education in Florida public schools has cleared its first committee in the state House.

The measure by Republican Rep. Vance Aloupis of Miami focuses on a civics course Florida middle schoolers must take in order to advance to high school. It was approved by a House Education panel on a unanimous vote Thursday.

Under the bill, the curriculum for the civics course would be closely reviewed for effectiveness by Florida Joint Center for Citizenship, a partnership between the University of Florida and University of Central Florida.

The idea is to stress such things as the roles of various levels of government, how the three branches of government work and the meaning of documents such as the Constitution and Declaration of Independence.