Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ Press Secretary Christina Pushaw claimed critics of the Sunshine State’s recent decision to reject dozens of mathematics books for containing “indoctrinating concepts” need a “reality check.” Pushaw added that a homework assignment in Misourri that used questionable topics shows that it’s “no wonder China is winning” when it comes to education.
On Saturday, The Daily Wire reported that the Florida Department of Education announced that after a recent review, 41% of proposed K-12 mathematics books intended for use during the 2022-2023 public school year did not meet state academic standards due to their apparent inclusion of Critical Race Theory principles and other controversial approaches to education.
Some critics wondered how an arithmetic textbook could ever run afoul of such standards.
For example, Florida State Representative Carlos Smith (D) tweeted, “#DeSantis is hysterically pulling math books outta FL schools claiming they ‘indoctrinate’ kids with CRT. This isn’t just crazy right-wing pandering — next they’ll spend MILLIONS of tax dollars forcing schools to buy math books from GOP campaign donors.”
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