DeSantis makes absurd statements about Florida schools' ties to China.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, not stopping at banning books, educational programs on sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as the teaching of critical race theory, now wants to prohibit access to schools that, according to him, have "direct ties" to the Chinese Communist Party.

DeSantis announced on Friday that he is suspending the educational voucher programs designed to help children and their families pay for tuition at four schools. He claims that Lower Sagemont Preparatory School, Upper Sagemont Preparatory School, Parke House Academy, and Park Maitland Schools pose an "imminent threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the students at these schools and the public" due to their alleged ties to China.

Such an exaggeration of the threat to the "health, safety, and well-being" of children being taught in these schools sounds like it was taken straight from Stanley Kubrick's satirical film "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb," where the mad General Ripper rants about how "I can no longer remain silent and allow communist infiltration, communist indoctrination, communist subversion, and an international communist conspiracy to destroy and corrupt all of our precious bodily fluids."

DeSantis claims that his Florida Department of Education has "established" through a "thorough investigation" that these schools have "direct ties to the CCP."

I'm glad to hear that this investigation was "thorough," considering it's the same Florida Department of Education that is itself under federal investigation for what appears to be a botched investigation into trading scheme fraud, which resulted in a multimillion-dollar contract being awarded to a DeSantis ally. However, DeSantis has not provided any evidence to support his allegations.

However, the websites of these schools clearly state that they are part of an educational network, the controlling stake of which is owned by an investment firm from Hong Kong and its affiliated companies owned by Chinese residents living in Hong Kong. The same network manages schools in Arizona, California, and Georgia. If this is evidence, it was not difficult to find. By the way, the management company also owns Princeton Review and Tutor.com.

Moreover, the Florida Department of Education seems to lack significant experience in investigating "external influence." A look at its websites and case list shows that its authority and investigative expertise are primarily related to reviewing standard cases of "fraud/abuse/waste," mostly concerning accessibility issues for individuals with disabilities.

The lack of investigations into foreign influence is not surprising, considering that it is primarily the responsibility of the federal government. As FBI Director Christopher Wray stated, "The FBI is the leading federal agency responsible for investigating foreign influence operations," along with several collaborating federal agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence - all of whom somehow overlooked this sinister conspiracy happening in Florida.

The Lower and Upper Sagemont Preparatory Schools, Parke House Academy, and Park Maitland Schools, which are accused of posing a danger to their own students and all of us, deny any influence from the Chinese Communist Party.

Sagemont Preparatory School and Park Maitland School (which has an "A+" rating according to the Niche school search website) stated: "We have received notification from the state regarding the suspension of our eligibility for Florida Choice school funds. We did not receive any prior contacts and are seeking additional information about the reasons for this decision. At the same time, we will work directly with our families to ensure that they can remain students at our school. We are regularly recognized as one of the best private schools in our area, and we have examples of successful educational outcomes, which is why parents choose us.

This means that students whose families are seeking financial assistance will no longer be able to rely on that support. Schools will need to work with these families to ensure that their children do not lose the opportunity to continue their education. For example, last year Park Maitland received about $329,000 in such assistance, with fewer than 50 students out of around 640 utilizing state aid. This data suggests that the loss of government funding will harm those students and their families who need help the most, unlike families who can afford tuition without state assistance.

It's not surprising that DeSantis's recent statements about China seem comically unfounded. His law banning Chinese citizens from buying land in Florida will affect only 0.1% of all real estate transactions in Florida in 2022 - a negligible basis for DeSantis's claims about the "harmful influence of the Chinese Communist Party" on Florida's real estate market. It's also not surprising that these recent actions primarily harm the most vulnerable.

Whether it's migrants, Black people, Asians, or other underrepresented groups, one can be sure that DeSantis will exploit them for his personal political gain. The ban on land purchases earlier this year has its roots in the racist "Alien Laws" of the 19th and 20th centuries, which prohibited Asians from owning land. Similar to Trump's accusations against China during the COVID pandemic, this was a reckless appeal to racism that threatens Asians, as well as the current claims that schools are part of a Chinese Communist conspiracy.

In 2022, the number of hate crimes against Asians increased by 339% according to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. Students attending schools targeted by DeSantis and their families will not only suffer financially, but they and their schools will also have to worry that their association with DeSantis will lead to criticism, harassment, and even threats.

It's time for DeSantis and other conservative extremists to end their war against education, which amounts to a war against children.