NAPLES, Fla. — On Monday, after much Collier County textbook debate, the district's school board unanimously approved eight math textbooks for K-5 to be classroom-ready.
This follows back and forth over state standards such as Critical Race Theory, LGBTQ+ issues, and social-emotional learning which was the main focus of Monday's public hearing.
Those opposed said questions asked in the math textbooks like,
- “What are some ways you can connect with your classmates?”
- “What behaviors show that you respect your classmates?”
...do not hold any value when it comes to teaching children mathematics and another speaker said these are valuable questions but should be asked separately and not during a math lesson.
On Monday, Collier County School's representative repeated how the Florida statute requiring students to “self-monitor” allows them to answer questions separately and creates relevant conversations.
While saying social-emotional learning is not the same and does not ask students to discuss their own personal problems.
Board member Erick Carter added perspective when the hearing was over.
He talked about school shootings, saying we (the public) always ask why the student who fired the weapon was overlooked for so long.
Carter went on to say he feels these types of questions will help collier county educators identify students who may be struggling and help them.
