In the deepest corners of the right wing, the belief exists that teachers, textbook writers and publishing companies are conspiring to indoctrinate children. It starts with softening students up by talking about feelings. Then, their unsuspecting minds can be shaped to believe in climate change, COVID-19 vaccines, evolution and — worst of all — that racism exists.
Such kookiness has existed on the fringes of the Republican Party for a long time, and was, for the most part, shunned by mainstream conservatives. But in the Twilight Zone that Florida’s state government has become, this line of thinking is shaping education policy.
These extreme voices appeared to have been loud in the Florida Department of Education’s review of math textbooks. That process resulted in the state rejecting 54 of 132 submitted textbooks, though 19 were later accepted after publishers removed “woke content.” The department has provided little explanation for its reasoning but said the materials included prohibited topics like critical race theory, Common Core and social-emotional learning.
