Florida Bill Would Require Teachers to Swear Nonpartisan Oath to U.S. and State Constitutions

Overview

• Rep. Tom Fabricio filed HB 147 to require public school teachers to take a specified oath before assuming classroom duties.
• The oath pledges support for the U.S. and Florida constitutions and promises professional, independent, objective, nonpartisan teaching.
• The text also commits teachers to uphold academic integrity, foster respectful, critical‑thinking classrooms, and serve as positive role models, ending with the phrase “so help me God.”
• The bill is slated for consideration when the legislative session opens Jan. 13, with no committee action reported to date.
• Florida statute already places some public employees, including certain school officials, under constitutional oaths, and Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas recently rebuked teachers’ social‑media behavior in a letter to superintendents.