Student Bill of Rights? Ron DeSantis is looking into it

Gov. Ron DeSantis says Florida’s college students could receive some protections from the state against restrictions on social gatherings amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Governor floated the possibility Thursday alongside his intent to preempt local government restrictions on restaurant reopenings. That followed questions about Florida State University President John Thrasher‘s announcement last week that students who flout isolation orders could face suspensions for at least one semester.

“We’re looking at perhaps if there’s something we can do at the state level to provide some type of Bill of Rights for students,” DeSantis said. “I understand universities are trying to do the right thing, but I personally think it’s incredibly draconian that a student would get potentially expelled for going to a party.”

Throughout the pandemic, the Governor has repeated dismissed harsh lockdown restrictions as draconian. In recent months, he’s applied the term to complete lockdowns, state mask mandates and other policies that carry consequences for violating mitigation measures.

On Thursday, the Governor backed partygoers.

“That’s what college kids do,” DeSantis said. “They’re at low risk and I just think that we’ve got to be reasonable about this and really focus the efforts on where the most significant risk is.”

The Governor shared his views during a virtual roundtable with scientists from Harvard and Stanford universities that lasted more than two hours. The meeting covered an extensive list of topics related to COVID-19 with the three scientists erring on the side of loosening restrictions.

Harvard University Medical School Professor of Medicine Dr. Martin Kulldorff backed the Governor’s sympathies for college students.

“I think that the young people should live close to normal lives,” Kulldorff said. “As long as they don’t invite their grandmother to those student parties, that’s fine, but keep grandma away.”

Stanford structural biology professor Michael Levitt also supported letting the virus spread among young, low-risk populations.

“Everything we’ve heard here, for example, in treating age groups differently, makes complete sense,” he said. “The need to let young people interact with each other, both for social reasons and for herd immunity, make perfectly good common sense. I think there should have been more of that.”

Thrasher’s message to Seminoles on Friday made clear that noncompliance would not be tolerated and that serious disciplinary actions would follow violations.

“From this point forward, for any student who tests positive and is ordered to isolate: Socializing outside of your residence, working out at the Leach Center or engaging in activities such as going to parties may result in your suspension from Florida State University for a minimum of one academic semester,” Thrasher wrote.

Despite railing against lockdowns for students, DeSantis gave credit to Florida’s universities in general.

“They have not gone way overboard the way some of these others throughout the rest of the country,” he said. “Some of these stories are just absolutely horrible. If I were a parent, to have a student treated the way some of those colleges in other parts of the country have treated them, I would be none too happy on that. There may be a better balance to be struck going forward.”

Prior in the roundtable, Kulldorff elaborated on his views for college campus policies, which included having students attend classes in person and having professors 60-year-old and older teach virtually while a TA is present in the room. If students show symptoms, they should stay in their dorm rooms.

“They don’t need to be tested. I don’t think there needs to be any testing at universities,” he said.

“They should certainly not go home because then they’re putting their parents, who are older, at risk rather than their classmates who are lower risk.”

Thrasher’s leadership team did not immediately return request for comment. Neither did legislative leaders regarding the possibility of a student Bill of Rights. Democrats, however, jumped on the prospect.

“DeSantis would rather protect parties than protests,” tweeted the Florida Democratic Party.

Florida House Democrats similarly hinted at Republicans’ announced legislation against violent protests.

“College kids also protest. Just saying,” they tweeted.