The Florida Citizens Alliance (FLCA) is asking Governor Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran to halt the adoption of English Language Arts textbooks to ensure they do not contain Critical Race Theory.
“Right now, all 67 Florida school districts are adopting and purchasing English Language Arts (ELA) textbooks,” Keith Flaugh, a Founder and Managing Director of FLCA, said. “Many of these materials are published by the same progressive publishers that gave us, and the rest of nation, Common Core.”
In addition, the organization wants the state to prohibit any school district in Florida from accepting federal grants related to Critical Race Theory and similar topics.
“The Governor has the executive power as Florida’s Governor and with the 10th Amendment to just say no,” said Flaugh. “If not, Critical Race Theory will be a huge embarrassment in Florida; and it will be infused into our classrooms for the next four to six years.”
The FLCA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that champions K-12 education reform in Florida, believes making Critical Race Theory part of school curriculum teaches kids to be ashamed of their race. This conservative group previously worked to abolish Common Core in Florida and is a proponent of school choice, parental rights and defending conservative values in schools.
Critical race theory examines the way race and racism influences politics, culture and the law. Critical Race Theorists contend institutions in the United States are inherently racist insofar as they function to create and maintain social, economic, and political inequalities between whites and nonwhites, especially African Americans. According to Purdue University, critical race theory scholarship shows how racism continues to be pervasive and why it denies individuals their constitutional rights.
The FLCA recently published an open letter on the topic and has gathered support from about 50 other organizations across the state. Some organizations joining in signing the letter include: Defend Florida, We The People IRC, American Christian Civil Rights Movement, Pinellas Patriots, Moms for America, Women Fighting for America, Gulf Coast Classical Academy, Save Florida Schools and several 912 Groups around the state.
In March, DeSantis announced that he does not support Critical Race Theory in Florida schools. At a press conference in Naples, he outlined the Civic Literacy Excellence Initiative, a proposal to use $116 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to supplement civics education in Florida schools. Part of that plan was $17 million for developing civics curricula with “foundational concepts” and not “unsanctioned narratives like Critical Race Theory.”
““There is no room in our classrooms for things like Critical Race Theory. Teaching kids to hate their country and to hate each other is not worth one red cent of taxpayer money,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis told Sean Hannity on FoxNews, “I do think we need to rediscover in our K through 12 system the founding of the country, what makes our country unique but when you do that, it’s got to be true and solid and factual. And you can’t let it become infected with left wing ideology like Critical Race Theory.
“(Critical Race Theory is) divisive, and it’s basically an identity politics version of Marxism. It has no place in the classroom and certainly shouldn’t be funded by taxpayers,” said the Governor.
I certainly hope DeSantis follows through and bans Critical Race Theory instruction in all Florida K-12 public schools as well as banning any text books advocating such racist, propaganda, in Florida’s public schools. Our country and state is facing a crisis in teaching American history. Too many progressive theories and distortions are being presented as factual, with no scientific data to support same, and only serve as tools for political cultural change and political control Such teaching is like a cancer and needs to be surgically removed from any educational program or our Republic with its foundation of truth and reason will fall apart.
Our nation was not built on divisive propaganda, but built on factually based truths, handed down by our forefathers, who had their concepts founded in Christian-Judeo culture.
What of bi-racial children? How do you tell a child their White side should feel guilty for their Black side? Racism is racism regardless.
The Florida Citizens’ Alliance is a Tea Party group in SW Florida that invents stories to try to scare parents into leaving public schools, because they’re anti-government, anti-anyone-who-isn’t-a-conservative-Christian. They’ve been trying to get control over textbooks in my county for years. The director Keith Flaugh came to a science textbook selection working group meeting and his group members get appointed to groups to try to influence public ed, not in a good way. They don’t trust teachers to teach. They try to make parents believe schools are full of bullies and students and teachers who will “indoctrinate their kids.” Islam, LGBT, climate change, sustainability, are scary ideas they don’t want kids to know about. They want to make decisions for all parents. Most of them have no idea what happens in public schools. Whatever they write, take it with a huge grain of salt, and assume it’s the worst case scenario. If whatever they’re worried about is happening anywhere, they’ll find out and try to make you believe it’s happening everywhere. They haven’t learned to live with others, so they try to segregate people like themselves in churches, classical academy charter schools and private schools. They could use your thoughts and prayers, because they hold onto a lot of fear, negativity, and anger. I’m a parent in their home county who saw them in action at monthly school board meetings. DeSantis appointed its leaders to his education transition team. Florida’s education commissioner (past FL House Speaker) panders to them, too. https://fb.watch/5wK8yz1xAu/ It’s all about gaining political control of public resources. Not a reflection on public education.
Not sure how that angry emoji got attached to my comment. Here’s a better one.
Or not. I guess the default.