Ron DeSantis explains why Florida banned ‘woke’ math books

‘Two plus two equals four right? Not two plus two equals well, how do you feel about that’

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (Associated Press)

Ron DeSantis has claimed he banned “woke” math books because they were asking kids how they felt about basic arithmetic exercises.

The Florida Governor rejected more than 50 maths textbooks in April after a Department of Education review deemed the materials incorporated “critical race theory” and the “unsolicited addition” of social-emotional learning concepts.

Speaking at a “Moms for Liberty” conference on Friday morning, Mr DeSantis said: “These math books, they were doing woke math.

“And I was thinking to myself ‘two plus two equals four right’? Not two plus two equals well, how do you feel about that, is that an injustice? No, we gotta teach the kids to get the right answer.”

In April, Florida’s state education department announced it had rejected more than 50 math textbooks for the 2022 school year.

The department said they were “impermissible” with state standards or contained “prohibited topics” such as critical race theory, a high-level academic framework that addresses systemic racism in institutions.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R-FL) made up controversy of the day: “[Florida schools] were doing woke math … It’s not 2 plus 2 equals ‘Well how do you feel about that? Is that an injustice?’” pic.twitter.com/HjyRmPtPVX

— The Recount (@therecount) July 15, 2022

Most of the rejected texts were for kindergarten through fifth grade levels.

Mr DeSantis has become a leading proponent of the GOP culture wars, passing a series of so-called “anti-woke” laws and punishing corporations that criticise him.

He is widely believed to be positioning himself for a 2024 run for president.