Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has announced plans to partner his government with Turning Point USA to establish a chapter in every high school in the state.
DeSantis kept the details vague. However, he did confirm that the Florida speech and debate championship will now be named after political commentator Charlie Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA, according to a report by MSNBC.
The Florida Governor emphasized that every high school in the state should have the opportunity to establish a Turning Point USA chapter, explaining that engaging in discussions about political questions is an important aspect of free speech.
“There shouldn’t be any impediments to that and certainly no discrimination. We’re not going to allow that,” he explained.
DeSantis later doubled down on these statements and said the Florida government is prepared to “drop the hammer” on anyone who prevents a Turning Point USA chapter on a high school campus, per MSNBC.
Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas echoed the statements made by DeSantis, writing on social media that every high school has the right to begin a chapter on campus and anyone who attempts to prevent that right will face consequences.
“If you try to serve as an obstacle, if you are a hurdle, if you get in the way of any student or teacher trying to start a @TPUSA Club America Chapter in Florida, you will be met with the full force of the law.”
This partnership comes just over one month after Kirk was assassinated during an event at Utah Valley University on September 10, leading to a major surge in chapters across the country, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Shortly after the assassination, Turning Point USA received requests for over 37,000 new chapters across the country, though that number has likely grown after another month has passed since the incident.
The assassination of Kirk and the growth of Turning Point USA have seemingly inspired many within education and politics to pursue this cause. Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters recently announced his resignation to join a nonprofit and help expand Turning Point USA, as reported by DX.
Walters had previously announced a similar partnership with Turning Point USA, pledging to have a chapter in every public school in Oklahoma.
Moving forward, Walters will serve as the head of the Teacher Freedom Alliance, which aims to help educators “exercise their First Amendment rights and support the right of every educator in America to pursue excellence in the classroom free of ideological interference.”