“It’s shocking to me with leaders that are so against masks that they expect students to mask who they are. It’s unacceptable,” said Cardona. “We’re going to continue to support our students. We’re going to continue to let them hear us that we’re behind them, we support them. That all students should be able to experience school without any discrimination and we are going to continue to make sure that they feel the support and that we are here for the parents who don’t feel that this ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill supports what they’re thinking and what they want for their children.”    Cardona also said parents need to be involved in the everyday tasks with their children so that they can move forward in education.    “I had a great conversation with families and students who are transgender, who just want to go to school like everyone else, so my message to them is we’re here to support you. We want to make sure all students feel safe in their school environment,” said Cardona.

First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your career that led you to be our present Secretary of Education.    As being born of Puerto Rican parents, and my being Cuban, you are aware of the strong bond between our two islands. This is one of my motivations of my “open” letter.  It was with much disappointment that your judgment of the recently enacted Florida law called Florida’s Parental Rights in Education turned to be more political, than educational.  You drank the “kool aid” by using the disparaging nickname “don’t say gay” that only confirms that you have not read the bill. 

In simple terms, it gives the parents the right to object to the teaching in school children from 3 to 8 years old being taught about sexual behaviors including details totally not only

inappropriate, but beyond their comprehension at that age. There are many changes between birth and maturity established by biology and not as a part of formal education. 

This basic rule determines why at 3 to 8 years old, the use of firearms, driving lessons, subjects as algebra and literature are not part of the curriculum.  I am sure that you are aware that adult’s recall of their first memories was from when they were older than 4-5.  Also, in the normal process of growing their first thoughts derive from curiosity about themselves and their environment.  At most, they might wonder why some have something between their legs and others (girls) not.  Then when older they might wonder about birth origins. The answers should be simple, concrete and with examples that their forming brain might understand and retain.  Different types of sexual behaviors at this young age are not asked for, or understood. Our mother had Doctorates, from when the University of Havana was world ranked, in Education, Literature, and Philosophy and my sister and I were home schooled until 10 years old. As all children we began asking questions, and she answered with examples easily retained at our age, and showing us using our pet dogs and cats the different anatomies and had us witness the miracle of the birth of puppies and kittens.

The knowledge was not imposed, but came after we needed by our normal development this education.  Also I would have hoped that as our leader of Education, you would have studied the rare occurrence of transsexuality, which has a prevalence of less than 0.01% of the population.  This condition, you were correct, might start showing signs in childhood (but after children’s aware of differences), and can develop depression and suicidal risk.  Only professional observation is needed as concordance between gender and belief matches in the immense majority of the afflicted after adolescence when sexual maturity is achieved.  What is presently “a la mode”, and cited as the above is a non-scientific term, used as a political tool and that encompasses not only transsexuals and homosexuals (mostly genetic conditions) that are, as should be, part of our society, but around 30 other conditions that include behaviors from psychological disorders and also some deviant to our society as pedophiles.     This “transgender fad” (I call it a political scam) should not be used inappropriately, as you did, and It is obvious that has nothing to do with children’s education, much less as a form of discrimination. 

I hope you dedicate some of your very busy time studying the subject, as our top educator, and refuse being a tool to any ideology from either of our two political main Party’s.