FACTCHECK: Ron DeSantis signed a bill requiring Florida students to register their political views.

An image shared on Facebook Claims. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation requiring school teachers and students to register political opinions with the state.

Verdict: Misleading

The bill in question requires universities to send out surveys about viewpoint diversity and intellectual freedom. Faculty and students aren’t required to declare their political opinions.

Fact Check:

Social media users are claiming that DeSantis signed a bill requiring school faculty and students to register their political views with the state. One viral tweet stated that the Florida bill DeSantis signed, requiring Florida professors and students to register their political opinions with the state.

This claim is false and misleading. The post appears to be a reference to HB 233, which DeSantis signed into law in June 2021, according to WFLA. It directs the Florida State Board of Education to instruct the “Florida College System institution to conduct an annual assessment of the intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity at that institution.”

“The State Board of Education shall select or create an objective, nonpartisan, and statistically valid survey to be used by each institution which considers the extent to which competing ideas and perspectives are presented and members of the college community, including students, faculty, and staff, feel free to express their beliefs and viewpoints on campus and in the classroom,” reads part of the legislation.

Check Your Fact couldn’t find any legislation that required students and faculty to declare their political opinions. However, a union representing faculty advised them to not take the survey because they were afraid that answers could be used to identify faculty members. The Associated Press . According to the outlet, anonymous surveys were also planned. (RELATED: ‘I’m Sick Of People Saying Cops Need More Training’ – Did Ron DeSantis Make This Statement? )

“No, students and faculty are not required to ‘register their political views,'” reads a statement provided to Check Your Fact by Christina Pushaw, DeSantis’s press secretary, in an email.

” The viewpoint diversity surveys, which are anonymous and voluntary, do not collect any personal information. They only gather feedback about the intellectual freedom on campus, which was what the survey is designed to assess,” reads the statement.

The viral claim may have stemmed from a June 2021 Salon article headlined, “DeSantis signs bill requiring Florida students, professors to register political views with state.” The article was later corrected and changed to accurately reflect what the law did, according to CNN.