Moms, dads, aunties, grandparents, and anyone who cares about kids. We can’t stay on the sidelines while kids’ rights are in danger. 

Florida is one of 17 states that has signed onto a federal lawsuit out of Texas that deems Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act “unconstitutional” due to “anti-woke” political games. The problem with that, aside from being a political attack, is that Section 504 provides critical protections for all Americans with disabilities (including the over 3 million disabled people living in Florida).

**Click here to sign now to tell Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier to withdraw the state of Florida from the Texas v. Becerra lawsuit!**

No matter where you are on the political spectrum, this lawsuit opens up the opportunity to strip children, families, and single adults from critical protections. In fact, 504 plans are a cornerstone of the health and safety of children in schools. 

Have a child with anemia or allergies? It’s a 504 plan that helps schools keep those kiddos comfortable, safe, and learning. Moms like Andrea in Florida whose child with diabetes gets the support she needs to stay safe:

“I can't begin to explain how important my middle schoolers 504 is to her day-to-day at school. She is diabetic and needs her phone at all times because it's a medical device that is connected to her pump and doses her insulin. This is a necessity and is made possible because she has a 504. It also ensures she has a little more time if she goes low or high or allows for interrupted class time to go see the nurse if her devices stop working. People might read this and say that seems like common sense, but knowing I have it on paper just in case makes all the difference. Because if a sub comes in and says she can't have her phone because of school rules, I have the peace of mind and a leg to stand on to defend her as a parent."

And with the attacks to dismantle the national Department of Education, it’s going to be more important than ever to make sure Florida takes a strong stand to protect 504s, not fight to get rid of them. 

There is NOTHING “woke” about basic common sense safety, y’all. So many of our Florida children rely on 504 plans to ensure that the supports they need to succeed are provided! 

There is so much at stake here. 

Did you know that 504 protections go well beyond the K-12 education years? Without 504 protections, Florida’s college students may be denied assistive technology, extended test time, and other support that helps them earn their degrees and disabled adults could face discrimination with no legal recourse. 

Florida families are already experiencing more than our fair share of stressors: High grocery prices (like the cost of eggs), continued Hurricane recovery as another season looms on the horizon,  limited access to quality child care, attacks on Medicaid…the list goes on and on. 

And, while our state legislature concerns themselves with ridiculous education policies, such as trying to turn our kids' schools into their political campaign playgrounds (I don’t even like getting campaign texts - why would I want politicians at my kid’s school?!) and making it easier to have guns in schools, we also have to worry that our children won’t have the basic protections of 504 plans. 

Make it make sense! This is our state’s leadership’s way to push their hurtful agenda on our most vulnerable, and it makes me mad enough to spit. For Pete’s sake, GROW UP! 

We have ACTUAL problems to solve, and spending our taxpayer dollars to take away 504 protections that are key to the health and safety of our disabled kids as a way to score cheap political points is cruel and IS NOT HELPING ANYONE.

We deserve to be represented and protected by those who were elected, and allowing Florida  to remain named in this lawsuit does just the opposite.