Florida to Sponsor Official "Dads Take Your Child to School Day"

You've heard of "take your child to work day," but the Florida Department of Education wants to flip it and make "Dads Take Your Child to School Day" happen. Citing research that family involvement has a strong connection to academic success, Florida will encourage fathers or other male role models in a child's life to take their elementary school-aged child to school on September 30 and then stay a little bit to learn about how how important their involvement can be. 

"Research into the impact of the father's role in a child's academic development suggests that when fathers are actively involved in their child's education, students perform better academically, have fewer discipline problems and become more responsible adults," wrote public school chancellor Hershel Lyons in a memo, according to the Orlando Sentinel. 

Lyons also noted that it's typically mothers who are more involved in their kids' education overall. 

Similar programs are already underway in New Jersey and New York. The New York program dates back to 2003 and was started as an unofficial event created by the Black Star Project’s Million Father March. The state officially got involved in 2017. According to its website, 11,400 "fathers, step-fathers, and other significant caregivers" participated in the program in New York in 2013. 

The implementation of the events are up to each school district, but the idea is that fathers will stay for a short event in the morning. 

Naturally there'll be a hashtag to promote the event: #FLDadsatschoolday.