Florida Becomes the First State in the Nation to Adopt the Phoenix Declaration

November 13, 2025

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Florida Becomes the First State in the Nation to Adopt the Phoenix Declaration

Tallahassee, Fla., November 13, 2025 — Today, the State Board of Education unanimously voted to ratify and adopt The Phoenix Declaration: An American Vision for Education as the guiding principles for education in Florida.

“Throughout Governor Ron DeSantis’ tenure, education in Florida has been guided by many of the principles embodied in the Phoenix Declaration,” said Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas. “By formally adopting this Declaration, we are reaffirming our commitment to an education system that pursues truth and virtue, empowers parents, and always prioritizes our students.”

“As one of the original public officials who signed on to the Phoenix Declaration, I knew how important it was for the State Board of Education to adopt it to serve as the unifying foundation for education in Florida.” said Ryan Petty, Chair of the State Board of Education. “The Phoenix Declaration will challenge us, as leaders, to resist complacency and ensure that Florida remains a national model for academic freedom, parental partnership and educational excellence.”

The Phoenix Declaration was unveiled by the Heritage Foundation in collaboration with leading education scholars, policy experts and public officials on February 17, 2025. More than 50 scholars and education policy experts and 10 educational and public interest groups signed on to the Phoenix Declaration envisioning an education system dedicated to the following:

• Parental Choice & Responsibility: Parents are the primary educators of their children. Public education funds should always follow the child. 
• Transparency & Accountability: Schools must be fully transparent with parents about curricula, policies, and student well-being. 
• Truth & Goodness: Students deserve an education grounded in objective truth, free from ideological fads, and oriented toward the pursuit of the good.
• Cultural Transmission: Students should learn about America’s founding principles and roots in the broader Western and Judeo-Christian traditions. Students should study the best-competing viewpoints that comprise our intellectual heritage. 
• Character Formation: Schools must prepare children for the challenges and responsibilities of adulthood by cultivating virtue, personal responsibility, and self-discipline. 
• Academic Excellence: Schools should prioritize proven teaching methods and a content rich curriculum rooted in foundational subjects over fads or experimental teaching methods.  
• Citizenship: Schools should teach students the civic virtues and knowledge necessary for self-government, including the value of civil disagreement. Students should learn the whole truth about America—its merits and failings—without obscuring that America is a great source of good in the world. 

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