Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Wednesday endorsed additional pro-parent, students-first school board candidates — those who would embrace the governor’s freedom-first policies at the local level.

Local school boards have emerged as a political battleground — one that surfaced to a national level during the Virginia governor’s race, which Glenn Youngkin (R) won after promising to “reestablish excellence in our schools.” Throughout the election and thereafter, parents nationwide raised questions on woke indoctrination, such as Critical Race Theory (CRT) and gender ideology, injected into classrooms.

Florida Gov. DeSantis has largely led the way on this front, prioritizing weeding out Marxist ideologies as well as protecting children from gender ideology — the latter of which was accomplished via the Parental Rights in Education law, which bars classroom discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity for children in kindergarten through third grade.

The fight starts at the school board, conservative Sarasota County School Board member Bridget Ziegler told Breitbart News earlier this year, explaining that school boards across the country follow a leftist “playbook.”

“There is a playbook, and, what I think so many people have now realized, as the result of the great parent awakening after COVID, the same playbook that happens in Sarasota County happens across the state and happens across the country,” she said. “And it’s largely based on indoctrinating local policy officials all the way down to professional development [given] to the educators, and that trickles down to indoctrinating our students with a very left, progressive agenda.”

That is why DeSantis is prioritizing school board endorsements, unveiling several candidates who he believes hold the same principles pursued by his administration. Ziegler is among those the governor has endorsed.
Current endorsements include:
    • Stacy Hahn – Hillsborough 2
    • Patricia Rendon – Hillsborough 4
    • Alexandria Suarez – Monroe 5
    • Al Hernandez – Pasco 1
    • Armor Persons – Lee 5
    • Chad Choate – Manatee 4
    • Christy Chong – Flagler 4
    • Cindy Spray – Manatee 2
    • Colonel Richard Tatem – Manatee 5
    • Darren Horan – Monroe 1
    • Erin Skipper – Clay 1
    • Jacqueline Rosario – Indian River 2
    • Jamie Haynes – Volusia 1
    • Jennifer Russell – Martin 3
    • Jill Woolbright– Flagler 1
    • Robyn Marinelli – Sarasota 4
    • Sam Fisher – Lee 1
    • Stephanie Busin – Hendry 4
    • Phil Leary – Putnam 5
    • Mildred Russell – Alachua 2
    • Megan Wright – Brevard 1
    • April Carney – Duval 2
    • Charlotte Joyce – Duval 6
    • Aly Legge – Hillsborough 6
    • Roberto Alonso – Miami-Dade 4
    • Monica Colucci – Miami-Dade 8
    • Bridget Ziegler – Sarasota 1
    • Timothy Enos – Sarasota 5
    • Fred Lowry – Volusia 5

“I’m proud to release my full slate of pro-parent, student-first school board candidate endorsements,” DeSantis said in a statement, identifying school board members as those standing “on the frontlines of defending our students and standing up for parental rights.”

“These 29 candidates are committed to advancing a bold education agenda in Florida. Parents can rest easy knowing that these candidates will fully support their right as parents to ensure their children reach their full potential in Florida’s K-12 education system,” he added.

The endorsements follow the release of the administration’s “Students First, Protecting Parents’ Rights” education blueprint, which prioritizes rejecting lockdowns and indoctrination and championing parental rights and curriculum transparency.