Florida Governor Ron DeSantis this week condemned critical racial theory, saying “there is no room” for it in Florida classrooms.
DeSantis this week proposed spending $ 106 million to support civic education in the state after receiving the boost in funding for the coronavirus stimulus package that President Biden signed last week.
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Under the governor’s proposal, teachers accredited in civic education would receive a $ 3,000 bonus. About $ 16.5 million would go to training teachers and principals in civic education. This training would come from civic “trainers”, face-to-face seminars and virtual learning.
About $ 6.5 million would be used to develop partnerships between schools and governments in an effort to get students interested in public service, and another $ 17 million would be earmarked for developing civic curricula – excluding critical racial theory.
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“Florida’s civic curriculum will incorporate fundamental concepts with the best materials and will explicitly exclude unsanctioned narratives like critical race theory and other unproven theories,” said DeSantis in announcing his proposal this week.
“Let me be clear: there is no room in our classrooms for things like critical race theory,” he continued. “Teaching children to hate their country and to hate themselves is not worth a red cent of taxpayer money.”
DeSantis said, instead, that Florida “will invest in a real, solid and true curriculum and we will be leaders in the development and implementation of world-class civic education”.
Critical race theory examines how race and racism influence politics, culture and the law. According to Purdue University, the study of critical race theory shows how racism continues to be persuasive and why it denies individuals their constitutional rights.
Last September, former President Trump stopped training “critical racial theory” at federal agencies and described it as “anti-American propaganda”.
But advocates of the training say it can help the government eliminate prejudice in areas such as granting federal contracts.
Upon taking office, Biden signed an executive order reversing a Trump-era policy that limited the ability of federal agencies, contractors and grantees to implement diversity and inclusion training.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.