Florida’s Division of Training simply accepted a brand new, supplemental conservative curriculum and its tutorial supplies that could possibly be begin being utilized in school rooms within the close to future because the statewide schooling shakeup continues.
That curriculum was created by the Prager College Basis, an unaccredited group that creates brief, academic movies on subjects like historical past, civics, philosophy, economics, and plenty of social points.
The inspiration has created and posted movies titled “How To Be a Rational Patriot,” “How To Be a Victor & Not a Sufferer,” in addition to “How To Embrace Your Masculinity,” and “How To Embrace Your Femininity.”
One video that’s making the rounds on-line reveals a cartoon depiction of Frederick Douglass speaking concerning the 13 Colonies and slavery.
“I’m definitely not OK with slavery,” Douglass says within the video. “However the founding fathers made a compromise to realize one thing nice — the making of america. It was America that started the dialog to finish it.”
Individuals on social media aren’t taking this video effectively.
“Frederick Douglass getting used because the vector for a whitewash of the Founding Fathers’ deep dedication to the Slave Energy is gross,” somebody commented on X.
“So principally rewrite historical past and make it seem to be our black leaders have been tremendous with slavery, Jim Crow, and segregation?” one other individual wrote on Instagram.
“Complete whitewashing of historical past,” one other Instagram person stated of the video.
PragerU has additionally produced movies titled “Local weather activists are like Nazis,” Wind and solar energy pollute the Earth and make life depressing,” and “Latest international and native warmth data replicate pure temperature cycles,” which query the scientific consensus round local weather change points.
The inspiration was based in 2009 by Allen Estrin and conservative radio discuss present host Dennis Prager. On its web site, the muse is touted as “a free different to the dominant left-wing ideology in tradition, media, and schooling” that teaches “American values.” Based on its biannual report, the platform racked up 1.2 billion views in 2022.
Though the group rails towards indoctrinating college students on concepts linked to essential race idea, gender fluidity, and systemic racism, Prager himself admitted that PragerU content material is “indoctrination” on the 2023 Mothers for Liberty Nationwide Summit in Philadelphia.
“I actually needed to listen to what proof do you’ve gotten that I’m despicable?” Prager stated of a dialog he had with demonstrators on the occasion. “And all I heard was, ‘Nicely, since you indoctrinate youngsters.’ Which is true. We convey doctrines to kids. That may be a very reasonable assertion. I stated, ‘”However what’s the dangerous of our indoctrination?’”
Final yr, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Home Invoice 7 to forestall “discriminatory instruction” and “woke indoctrination” in colleges. Nevertheless, the Florida Division of Training hasn’t signaled whether or not this new curriculum conflicts with that state regulation.
“The Florida Division of Training reviewed PragerU Youngsters and decided the fabric aligns to Florida’s revised civics and authorities requirements. PragerU Youngsters isn’t any totally different than many different assets, which can be utilized as supplemental supplies in Florida colleges at district discretion,” a spokesperson for the company advised nationwide information outlet The Hill.
There’s no phrase on whether or not academics can use the content material in school rooms this fall. It’s been characterised as tutorial aids for youngsters like Scholastics or Highlights. Lately, Florida accepted Black historical past requirements that can educate college students that enslaved individuals personally benefited from slavery.
“America’s schooling system has been hijacked by one aspect,” stated PragerU CEO Marissa Streit. “How are we going to have nice academics, if the academics themselves are principally held hostage to at least one ideology? That’s basically what we’re attempting to interrupt right here.”
Based on Streit, Florida was the primary state to approve PragerU’s academic content material. That approval course of is reportedly underway in ten extra states.
