The Florida Department of Education announced that they’d rejected dozens of math textbooks that included references to Critical Race Theory and for having other issues that don’t meet their standards. NBC 6’s Ari Odzer reports
The Florida Department of Education on Friday announced that they'd rejected dozens of math textbooks that included references to Critical Race Theory and for having other issues that don't meet their standards.
The department said they rejected 54 textbooks out of the 132 submitted, about 41%.
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In addition to references to CRT, the books were rejected for inclusions of Common Core and the unsolicited addition of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in mathematics, according to the department.
The highest number of books rejected were for grade levels K-5, where 71% were not appropriately aligned with Florida standards or included prohibited topics and unsolicited strategies, the department said.
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A state document titled "2021-2022 Mathematics Instructional Materials Not Recommended List" lists the textbooks that were rejected:
Although the books listed in the document were not approved, education officials said that publishers may appeal the state's decision.
"It is also important to remember that publishers may appeal any non-adoption decision and substitute or revise their submitted bids to be included on the state’s adopted list, if the substitution or revision of submitted instructional materials meets the bid specifications and aligns with Florida’s B.E.S.T. standards," the department said in an email.
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Critics said the move was just the latest by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state leaders to wage political culture wars in classrooms.
Click here to learn more about Florida's instructional materials adoption process.
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