(Bloomberg) -- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill requiring public schools to teach “the dangers and evils of communism” increasing his influence in his state’s education system and catering to conservative voters after a failed presidential bid. 

The law aims to “prepare students to withstand indoctrination on communism at colleges and universities,” according to a statement by DeSantis’s office. It will also require teachers to discuss the spread of communism in Latin America, Cuba’s communist policies and how the ideology clashes with the founding principles of the US.

Schools across the country have become a battleground for conservatives, heightening tensions in colleges and leading to book bans in public schools. In Florida, over 3,100 books were removed across 11 school districts between July and December last year, according to PEN America, including dictionaries.

DeSantis signed the “History of Communism” bill in a museum dedicated to the Bay of Pigs Invasion, in an overture to one of his main pillars of support in the state: conservative Hispanics. In his 2022 re-election, DeSantis won 69% of voters of Cuban-descent.

“We will not allow our students to live in ignorance, nor be indoctrinated by communist apologists in schools,” DeSantis said in a statement.

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