Then-Rep. Ron DeSantis is pictured during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, DC, on March 24, 2016.
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
Florida students now need parental permission to use a nickname in school.
The new rule is thanks to legislation approved by the state’s governor who famously goes by his nickname.
The rule also applies to transgender students who want to go by a preferred name instead of a legal name.
Students who attend school in Florida will now need parental permission to use a nickname or preferred name in school, thanks to a law put in place by the state’s governor, Ronald DeSantis, who famously goes by a nickname — Ron.
The rule will soon hit all Florida districts and follows new legislation that was adopted in July that aims to “strengthen the rights of parents and safeguard their child’s educational record to ensure the use of the child’s legal name in school or a parent-approved nickname,” according to Florida’s Department of Education.
It’s part of Florida House Bill 1069, which DeSantis approved earlier this year.
A spokesperson for DeSantis did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Fox 35 Orlando reported Tuesday that parents from Orange County could have to fill out a form granting their child permission to use a different name in school, whether that be a nickname, a shortened version of their legal name (like Ron), or a preferred name altogether, according to a memo from the Orange County Public Schools Office of Legal Services to district leaders and principals that went out Monday.
According to the Orange County Public Schools form, under the school board policy, “‘The name of the student as recorded on the birth certificate or other supporting evidence as prescribed in Section 1003.21, Florida Statutes, shall be used until or unless a final court order verifies a legal name change.”
The form also applies to transgender students who do not want to use their legal name, the school district said in the memo, FOX 35 reported.
But even if a parent fills out the permission slip to allow their student to use a different name in school, the student’s teacher is still not permitted to address the student by the pronouns of their choosing, according to House Bill 1069.
The same goes for parents and students in Seminole County, Florida, who got a similar email on Tuesday morning from their school board, People reported.
“If you would like for your child to be able to use a name aside from their legal given name on any of our campuses, we will ask for you to complete the consent form titled ‘Parental Authorization for Deviation from Student’s Legal Name Form,'” the memo said, according to People.