Florida DOE approves previously rejected textbooks for not aligning with state law.

Florida Approves Over 60% of Social Studies Materials

The Florida Department of Education has announced that it has approved over 60% of submitted social studies instructional materials for use in the state. This figure is a significant increase from the 19% of submitted materials that were approved by the state just a month ago. The state has worked with publishers to revise materials to meet Florida standards.

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State Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. praised Governor DeSantis and the state’s commitment to high-quality, factual content, which has earned Florida recognition as a leader in education. Diaz emphasized the importance of ensuring that students and teachers have access to the highest quality materials that focus on historical facts and are free from inaccuracies or ideological rhetoric.

The state received 101 book submissions, but only 19 were adopted as of April 6. After more than a month, 47 more books were approved, leading to a total of 66 approved books by Monday. The state provided examples of rejected materials and what they were replaced with to comply with state guidelines.

Examples of Rejected Materials and Revisions

• A K-5 book included a paragraph about parents discussing the national anthem and “Take a Knee” protests. The paragraph was removed in the revision.
• Material intended for grades 6-8 inaccurately described socialism as “keeping things nice and even and without unnecessary waste” and promoting greater equality. The positive descriptions of socialism were removed in the revised materials.
• Material intended for grades 6-8 discussed “what social justice issues are included in the Hebrew Bible.” The lines were replaced with asking what “key principles” are in the Hebrew Bible.
• Material intended for grades 9-12 referred to governments in China, Cuba, and the former Soviet Union as “so-called communist governments.” In the revision, “so-called” was removed.
• A section discussing “New Calls for Social Justice” was removed in the approved revision. The section described the founding of the Black Lives Matter group as a movement that “called for an end to systemic racism and white supremacy” and included references to the death of George Floyd in 2020.

Governor Ron DeSantis has made education one of his top priorities, including being tough on curricula. He initially rejected an Advanced Placement course on African American Studies due to the inclusion of “ideological material.”

Florida’s commitment to high-quality, factual content in social studies materials is a step towards ensuring that students receive an accurate and unbiased education.