Florida Department of Education rejects 54 math textbooks, citing ‘references’ to critical race theory

• The Florida DOE announced that it blocked 54 math textbooks from being used in classrooms.
• In making the decision, which was backed by DeSantis, the board pointed to critical race theory “references.”
• Critical race theory is almost exclusively taught in collegiate settings, including law schools.

The Florida Department of Education on Friday announced that it blocked 54 mathematics textbooks from being used as instructional materials in classrooms, citing “references” to critical race theory.

The board said that it rejected 54 math books out of 132 submitted for review — roughly 41 percent of the total — and added that the texts were removed from consideration because “they incorporate prohibited topics or unsolicited strategies, including CRT.”

Critical race theorists have examined how the legacy of racism continues to reverberate through laws and policies that exist today. Over the past two years, conservatives have systematically targeted the discipline, alleging that its teachings divide Americans — despite it generally not being taught at the grade school level and almost exclusively in collegiate settings.

Among other issues raised by the board were the inclusion of social-emotional learning (SEL) and elements of the Common Core. SEL has been identified by many on the right as a “gateway” for critical race theory concepts, pointing to programming that emphasizes controlling emotions and maintaining thriving relationships.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis — who is up for reelection this fall and has become one of the highest-profile conservative politicians in the country — praised the move by Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran and his colleagues.

“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,” he said in a statement. “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.”

Since taking office in 2019, DeSantis has backed a raft of conservative policies in what had long been one of the most closely-divided states in the country. He recently pushed through new abortion restrictions that will ban the procedure after 15 weeks, signed into law a controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill that has led to protests across the state, and enacted a restrictive voting bill in a state that in recent years had prided itself on the smooth administration of its elections.

Corcoran said in a statement that Florida had become “a national leader in education” under DeSantis.

“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,” he said.

Last June, the Department of Education voted to ban critical race theory from being taught in state classrooms, which DeSantis said at the time would prevent students from learning “false history” that would “denigrate the Founding Fathers.”

Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani — the first Iranian-American to hold a state legislative office in Florida — blasted GOP state government leaders regarding the move.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Florida Republican leaders are preparing to ban Algebra from high schools,” she tweeted. “They object to the subliminal use of [brackets] as an indoctrination to the concept of inclusion, they don’t like the equal sign, and they hate solving problems!”