A Tampa Bay Times editorial today says: No room for political games on textbooks. The editorial notes that the new bill filed in the state legislature that would completely take the state government out of textbook selections was motivated by “unsuccessful culture warriors.” I had discussed this issue in previous posts here and here. The editorial goes on to say:
Now Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, has filed legislation to eliminate the state’s role in textbook selection, saying that task should be left up to each county school board. As a House member six years ago, Hays pushed efforts to expand Florida’s science standards to include teachings other than evolution when it came to humanity’s origins. Now he may be able to exploit the unease with the state’s changing standards for public schools. The state’s shift to Common Core State Standards and digital publishing has other legislators questioning if the state process for selecting textbooks still makes sense.
This bill needs to be defeated. The sooner the better.
