Governor DeSantis proposes civics curriculum that excludes critical race theory

FLORIDA — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is proposing using federal CARES Act money to fund a $106 million Civic Literacy Excellence Initiative, which aims to make the state the leader in civics education.

The governor said the initiative would “promote high-quality civics education for Florida students and reward classroom educators who choose to participate in advancing civics education in their classrooms.”

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The initiative offers a $3,000 bonus to teachers who take part in curriculum training.

But seventh grade civics teacher Alex Ingram isn’t buying it.

“If Ron DeSantis wants to – if he feels this is important, he needs to talk to the legislature and make this a standard,” said seventh-grade civics teacher Alex Ingram.

Ingram feels partisanship has no room in the classroom.

“Civics education is taught in a non-partisan way,” he said, adding, “at the end of the year they shouldn’t know how I vote.”

The governor said the civics curriculum would exclude critical race theory, a theory which addresses issues having to do with race.

Meanwhile, the governor is asking the state legislature to approve his proposal in the current legislative session.

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