A Florida bill would permit students to record classroom lectures without a professor’s consent for proof if they suspect they are pushing political bias.
House Bill 233 (pdf), which currently requires the signature of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, would allow students to record lectures so long as it’s for their own personal educational use, or if they want to use the recording as evidence in a civil or criminal case against their school.
The recordings are for students’ “own personal educational use, in connection with a complaint to the public institution of higher education where the recording was made, or as evidence in, or in preparation for, a criminal or civil proceeding,” the legislation states.
Sponsored by Republican state Rep. Spencer Roach, the bill cleared the Senate by 25–15 on April 7 and was approved by the Republican-dominated state House in a 77–42 party-line vote in March.
If signed into law, students will not be able to publish the lecture recordings publicly or the professor could seek damages up to $200,000, according to the bill.
