Growing the Voices of Our Future
The Westside Gazette Newspaper is honored to feature these editorial contributions made by local students.
Submitted by Layla Davidson
The Florida Department of Education announced Friday that more than 50 math textbooks have been rejected from the state’s curriculum for the coming school year, citing references to critical race theory as one of the reasons for the rejections. According to the announcement, references to critical race theory, “inclusions of Common Core,” and the “unsolicited addition of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in mathematics” were among the reasons textbooks were rejected. In recent years, critics of critical race theory have claimed that the field is rooted on Marxism and poses a threat to the American way of life. Critical race theory, on the other hand, investigates how a history of inequality and racism in the United States continues to influence American society now. According to a press release from the department, 54 of the 132 textbook submissions will not be added to the state’s adopted list because they do not meet Florida’s new standards or contain prohibited topics. The list of rejected books accounts for nearly 41% of all submissions, which is the highest percentage in Florida’s history.
