Florida rejects 54 math textbooks from state curriculum over alleged “indoctrination” of students.

The Florida Department of Education rejected 54 mathematics textbooks submitted for inclusion in the state’s curriculum for the 2022-2023 school year over alleged indoctrination of students.

The Florida Department of Education argues that the books did not “properly aligned to Florida’s Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.)” and “included references to Critical Race Theory (CRT), inclusions of Common Core, and the unsolicited addition of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in mathematics.”

The B.E.S.T. standards were passed in a bill last month and signed into law by Gov. DeSantis. They include changes to the way students learn math and American history and offers a reduction in testing, according to the state’s department of education. It employs a back-to-basics approach in the early grades and makes it understandable for teachers, parents, and students.

Of the 132 books submitted, 41% were rejected over their alleged “indoctrination” or similarities to curriculum previously banned when Florida ended its use of Common Core standards, Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran said, WFLA reports.

“Florida has become a national leader in education under the vision and leadership of Governor DeSantis,” Corcoran said. “When it comes to education, other states continue to follow Florida’s lead as we continue to reinforce parents’ rights by focusing on providing their children with a world-class education without the fear of indoctrination or exposure to dangerous and divisive concepts in our classrooms.”

The breakdown of the books rejected are as follows, according to the FDOE:

• 28 were not included on the adopted list because they incorporate prohibited topics or unsolicited strategies, including CRT.
• 12 were are not included on the adopted list because they do not properly align to B.E.S.T. Standards.
• 14 were are not included on the adopted list because they do not properly align to B.E.S.T. Standards and incorporate prohibited topics or unsolicited strategies, including CRT.

A majority of the books rejected–71 percent–were for grades K-5.

“It seems that some publishers attempted to slap a coat of paint on an old house built on the foundation of Common Core, and indoctrinating concepts like race essentialism, especially, bizarrely, for elementary school students,” DeSantis said. “I’m grateful that Commissioner Corcoran and his team at the Department have conducted such a thorough vetting of these textbooks to ensure they comply with the law.”

FDOE assures parents that despite rejecting nearly half of the materials submitted, “every core mathematics course and grade is covered with at least one textbook”.