Florida rejects 54 math books, saying critical race theory appeared in some

The Florida Department of Education has rejected 54 math textbooks for its K-12 curriculum, citing reasons ranging from the inclusion of critical race theory to common core learning concepts.

The rejected books represent a record 41% of the 132 books submitted for review, the Florida Department of Education said in a statement.

Among them, 28 were rejected because they “incorporate prohibited subjects or unsolicited strategies, including [critical race theory]“, reads the press release.

Critical race theory has been described by scholars as an examination of racism and its impact through systems such as justice, housing, and education. However, it is generally not taught from kindergarten to grade 12.

Twelve books were rejected because they did not meet Florida benchmark standards, while 14 books were rejected because they both included prohibited topics and failed to meet program standards.

The names of rejected books have not been included.

Some Florida Democrats voiced their opposition to the move on Twitter.

“@EducationFL just announced they’re banning dozens of math textbooks they claim to ‘indoctrinate’ with CRT,” State House Rep. Carlos Smith said. “They won’t tell us what they are or what what they say because it’s a lie. #DeSantis has turned our classrooms into political battlegrounds and this is just the beginning.”

“Apparently the CRT is taught math in Florida, so the @EducationFL banned some math books. No, it’s not 1963, it’s 2022 in the ‘Free State of Florida,'” Sen. Shevrin Jones said.

State House member Anna Eskamani said“I get it. The purpose of math is to solve problems that the Florida Republican Party doesn’t like to do.”

Across grade levels, 70% of math material from kindergarten to grade five was rejected. Twenty percent of materials for grades 6-8 were rejected and 35% of materials for grades 9-12 were rejected.

“It seems that some publishers have tried to paint an old house built on common core foundations and indoctrinate concepts like racial essentialism, especially, oddly, for elementary school students,” said Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

In 2020, DeSantis removed Common Core Concepts, a group of national academic goals in reading and math, from the state curriculum. They have been replaced by the Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking, or BEST, standards, also dedicated to reading and mathematics.

In 2021, DeSantis banned the teaching of critical race theory, which he described as “the theory that racism is not simply the product of prejudice, but that racism is embedded in American society. and its legal systems in order to maintain the supremacy of the white person”. .”

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