Florida Continues Attack On Education After Rejecting 54 Math Textbooks Due To 'CRT'

Florida officials continued their war on education this week after rejecting more than 50 proposed math textbooks that allegedly included references to Critical Race Theory.

The Florida Department of Education announced Friday it would not include 54 of the 132 or 41% of math textbooks on the states adopted list, citing CRT as one of the main reasons.

Reasons for rejecting textbooks included references to Critical Race Theory (CRT), inclusions of Common Core, and the unsolicited addition of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in mathematics, the statement said. The highest number of books rejected were for grade levels K-5, where an alarming 71 percent were not appropriately aligned with Florida standards or included prohibited topics and unsolicited strategies.

The states Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said without evidence that the math textbooks included indoctrinating concepts like race essentialism, especially, bizarrely, for elementary school students.

DeSantis has been an outspoken critic of CRT , which has become a catchall term stripped of its original academic meaning for having discussions about racism in the classroom. Since last July, there have been more than 200 instances of public school districts in Florida banning books, the third highest number of incidents of any state in the U.S.

Democratic state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith said in a tweet that the governor has turned our classrooms into political battlefields and this is just the beginning.

.@EducationFL just announced they're banning dozens of math textbooks they claim \"indoctrinate\" students with CRT. They won't tell us what they are or what they say b/c its a lie.#DeSantis has turned our classrooms into political battlefields and this is just the beginning. pic.twitter.com/AliAGRDJIW

Rep. Carlos G Smith (@CarlosGSmith) April 15, 2022","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Rep. Carlos G Smith","author_url":"https://twitter.com/CarlosGSmith","cache_age":86400,"description":".@EducationFL just announced they're banning dozens of math textbooks they claim \"indoctrinate\" students with CRT. They won't tell us what they are or what they say b/c its a lie.#DeSantis has turned our classrooms into political battlefields and this is just the beginning. pic.twitter.com/AliAGRDJIW Rep. Carlos G Smith (@CarlosGSmith) April 15, 2022\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":1326,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FQaVf7CXEAUaf1m.jpg:large","thumbnail_width":1853,"title":"Rep. Carlos G Smith on Twitter","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/CarlosGSmith/status/1515062708663726084","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"mobile","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://action.news","locale":"en_US"},"originalEdition":"us","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"625b103de4b0be72bff6d118","entryPermalink":"https://action.news/entry/florida-ban-math-textbooks-critical-race-theory_n_625b103de4b0be72bff6d118","entryTagsList":"florida,education,ron-desantis,critical-race-theory,banned-books,@apple-novideopreview","sectionSlug":"us-news","deptSlug":"politics-news","sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"politics,education","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.us-news","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b","clickToPlayPlayer":"d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0","videoPagePlayer":"f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145","verticalPlayer":"e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065","stickyPlayerControl":"52ea1755-d601-4ad1-bccc-d8cce3f0e5da","stickyPlayerON":"8055e9e5-3bda-4933-8d45-9ad814fb6e22"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"https://img.connatix.com/4c5b6384-458e-45d2-a082-4dc7dea87785/1_th.jpg?crop=480:270,smart&width=480&height=270&format=jpeg&quality=60&fit=crop","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":4},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":1},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"625b103de4b0be72bff6d118","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"mobile","page_edition":"en-us"},"tags":[{"name":"Florida","slug":"florida","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/florida","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/florida","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/florida"},"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"U.S. News","slug":"us-news"},"topic":{"title":"Florida","slug":"florida","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/florida"},{"name":"Education","slug":"education","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/education","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/education","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/education"},"relegenceSubjectId":979338,"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"Education","slug":"education"},"topic":{"title":"Education News","slug":"education-news","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/education-news"},{"name":"Ron DeSantis","slug":"ron-desantis","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/ron-desantis","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/ron-desantis","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/ron-desantis"},"department":{"name":"Latest News","slug":"politics-news"},"section":{"title":"Politics","slug":"politics"},"topic":{"title":"Ron DeSantis","slug":"ron-desantis","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/news/topic/ron-desantis"},{"name":"Critical race theory","slug":"critical-race-theory","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/critical-race-theory","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/critical-race-theory","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/critical-race-theory"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/critical-race-theory"},{"name":"banned books","slug":"banned-books","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/banned-books","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/banned-books","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/banned-books"},"relegenceSubjectId":977944,"department":{"name":"Entertainment","slug":"entertainment"},"section":{"title":"Books","slug":"books"},"topic":{"title":"Book Reviews","slug":"book-reviews","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/entertainment/topic/book-reviews"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false}">

.@EducationFL just announced they're banning dozens of math textbooks they claim "indoctrinate" students with CRT. They won't tell us what they are or what they say b/c its a lie.#DeSantis has turned our classrooms into political battlefields and this is just the beginning. pic.twitter.com/AliAGRDJIW
Rep. Carlos G Smith (@CarlosGSmith) April 15, 2022

Your Support Has Never Been More Critical

Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone.

Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can't do it without you.

Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.

You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you.

Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all.

Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all.

Support HuffPost

Public school textbooks in Florida are reviewed by subject every five years. The next subject up for review will be social studies textbooks next month.