Florida's new standards for teaching Black history spark outrage

 A classroom controversy

is erupting in Florida over

how students will learn about

black history.

The state board of Education

has just approved standards

for public schools.

One rule

that teachers must now

follow requires

middle school students

to learn, quote,

how slaves

develop skills, which in some instances

could be applied

for their personal benefit.

And at the high school level,

if students learn about race massacres

like the 1920 rampage in Ocoee Florida,

teachers must include, quote,

acts of violence perpetrated against

and by African-Americans.

Joining me to discuss is Andrew Spar,

president of the Florida

Education Association.

Andrew, to be clear,

when it comes to that massacre

that was against African-Americans

trying to prevent them from voting,

just to be clear with folks

who may not be familiar

with that history.

What is your reaction to these standards?

We're very concerned

about the standards here in Florida.

You know, what teachers want to do

is they want to teach kids

an accurate, complete and honest history,

both the good and the bad.

And what we see happening here right now

in Florida is

the governor is putting his political

agenda ahead

of the education of our children.

And he's picking and choosing

what he believes

should be part of the history

that is taught in our schools.

I mean, you mentioned two examples

from middle and high school,

but even in elementary school

where we typically talk to kids

about explaining and describing

and defining

they're being told just to recognize

and identify

key figures

in African-American history,

not talk about their contributions

and how those contributions

may have affected their lives

and the lives of their families.

What other standards are there other ones

besides the ones you mentioned

besides the one that I outlined there?

In the introduction

to you that are concerning

Yeah, absolutely.

Again, we're talking about

what's missing from these standards.

Florida's articles of succession

when when there was the Civil War,

aren't even included in these standards.

And talking about the impact

that that has on our students

or that had on black people,

and particularly slaves.

We also see when we talk about

the Supreme Court

ruling of Brown versus

the Board of Education, again,

another key element is missing,

which is when the Florida legislature

voted to say that

that Supreme Court

ruling was null

and void in the state of Florida.

Those are key elements

that we need to know

because we learn from our history.

And when you leave

that out of the teaching to our students,

it's problematic.

And keep in mind,

teachers in Florida

are operating

under a law passed last year,

which was the stop gap

where they are threatened with their jobs

and their teaching certificate

if they teach something

that the governor decides is part of woke

in America

or woke in Florida

or part of stuff

he does not want taught in our schools.

And so because of that,

teachers are very hesitant

as to how they navigate standards

when things are key issues are missing.

So Andrew, your organization represents

150,000 teachers

and also other education professionals.

What are you hearing from them

now with these standards? Passed?

Well, we've been hearing

for a while from them

because last year we began

Florida changed pass the Stop Vocal Act.

They also had a civics training

that they did for teachers,

and we were hearing from them

about how it seemed like

they were trying to rewrite the history,

leave things out.

Talking about how

the founding fathers in our country

as fought against slavery,

but not talking

about how they owned slaves.

So teachers are very concerned

with what's happening

and how we're narrowing the curriculum.

And they're also very concerned

that many of our students are no longer

seeing themselves in their learning.

And that is really,

really important for kids to learn.

It's one of those foundational skills

that one of those foundational needs

that kids have,

which is to see themselves

in their learning

and how their learning connects to them.

So when you say don't teach

current events,

when you say limit

what kids can see and learn

That's a real problem for educators.

Can you talk a little bit

more about that?

What are the long

term effects

that you are concerned about

with children?

Learning history, the way it is outlined

in these standards?

Again, you know,

there's

that old adage,

if we don't learn from history,

we're destined to repeat it.

So if you are selecting what you can

and can't learn in our schools,

as the governor is doing right now

for his own political ambitions,

then kids are missing out

on that education. They deserve and need.

If they don't learn about how slavery

really came about in this country

and how there were attempts

to continue slavery

even after the Emancipation Proclamation,

if they don't learn about how

there was

separate and unequal in our schools

at which the

which Brown versus

the Board of Education

reversed and changed,

and how states like Florida

and other states

fought against desegregation,

then we're destined to repeat that.

And what's concerning is we're seeming

like we're going back to 1950

rather than going ahead to 2050

and the great prosperity ahead of us.

Andrew Spar with the Florida

Education Association.

Thank you for being on the show today.

We appreciate it.