Florida’s Board of Education announced Thursday a ban on critical race theory and curricula that could “distort historical events” from being taught in public schools.
Gov. Ron DeSantis called the Marxist ideology “really toxic.”
“I think it’s going to cause a lot of divisions. I think it’ll cause people to think of themselves more as a member of a particular race based on skin color, rather than based on the content of their character and based on their hard work and what they’re trying to accomplish in life,” DeSantis said.
The new law states classes must “be factual and objective, and may not suppress or distort significant historical events, such as the Holocaust, and may not define American history as something other than the creation of a new nation based largely on universal principles stated in the Declaration of Independence.” It also instructs teachers to have conversations with kids “appropriate for the age and maturity level of the students.
Florida’s decision comes a month after DeSantis vowed to take action on critical race theory. He told reporters at a press conference it is offensive for taxpayer funds to go toward indoctrination.
Gov. DeSantis says he will ban "any departure from accurate history," and will not support any Republican candidate for school board who supports critical race theory or mandatory masking of children. pic.twitter.com/C2ZXJYZzH0
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 6, 2021
Iowa, Tennessee, Idaho, and other states have passed legislation banning critical race theory. Such legislation has advanced in Missouri, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas, and other legislatures.
