What back to school means in the era of PragerU – Reckon

FILE - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs the Parental Rights in Education bill, also known as the "Don't say gay," bill, at Classical Preparatory School, on March 28, 2022, in Shady Hills, Fla. DeSantis' divisive education policies have faced wide criticism from civil rights leaders and professional educators, among others, but they also have paid off politically. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP, File) (Douglas R. Clifford/AP)

After Hurricane Ian hit the west coast of Florida in Sept. 2022, it damaged five schools and destroyed three, displacing 2.5 million children from their normal routines. More than 168,000 kids were kept out of the classroom for weeks in the aftermath following the category 4 storm, with some kids missing as many as 100 school days.

For the Reckon Report in September, were focusing on education. Public education has long been a flashpoint for debate in America. But in the last few years, school board meetings, school libraries and curricula at all levels of education have faced attacks, especially at the state and local levels. Most recently, that challenged curricula have included climate change denial and numerous other controversial issues related to race, gender and evolution.

As Hurricane Idalia rapidly strengthens on its path toward Northwest Florida and school kids settle into the beginning of their academic year, theres no better time to transition from climate change to education and take a hard look at PragerU the conservative education and media group that was recently permitted to show climate denial and other controversial videos to K-5 kids in the Sunshine State.

The group has controversial takes on a wide range of topics, including claiming the gender wage gap doesnt exist, fascism is an idea of the left, and numerous videos criticizing African-American history and the detrimental effects of slavery.

While some counties in Florida have already said they will not show the videos, many will allow them in class. The move, which received the blessing of Gov. Ron DeSantis, is the culmination of decades of lobbying from right-wing education groups and parents who have traditionally targeted evolution and called for a greater emphasis on creationism.

Those battles are usually fought behind closed doors by the elected board of education members in any given state. In recent years, however, the topics up for debate have extended from African-American history to basic interpretations of the Constitution.

Now, climate change is firmly part of the alternative education debate and is spreading nationwide.

FILE - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference to sign several bills related to public education and increases in teacher pay, in Miami, on May 9, 2023. DeSantis' divisive education policies have faced wide criticism from civil rights leaders and professional educators, among others, but they also have paid off politically. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File) (Rebecca Blackwell/AP)

PragerUs ascent from a fringe media group to the conservative mainstream has partially taken these debates out of school board meeting rooms and dropped them directly into the public domain.

Just last week, a Republican member of the State Board of Education in Texas announced that all of PragerUs resources would be rolled out to public school children in the state. Julie Pickren made the announcement with PragerUs CEO, Marissa Streit. In the joint video, Pickren, present at the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol building, said, We are definitely ready to welcome PragerU into the great state of Texas.

A blurb beside the video said the group was now an approved education vendor in the state.

A protester holds up a "thumbs down" sign as Houston Independent School District Superintendent Mike Miles presented a slideshow to the board during the HISD board meeting at Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center on Thursday, June 22, 2023, in Houston. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via AP) (Karen Warren/AP)

Well, turns out it was a lie. The states Board of Education said PragerU hadnt presented its plans to the board and was not an approved vendor. Education advocates believe Pickren is attempting to politicize this weeks school board meetings, where textbook adoption on climate change and evolution issues will be discussed.

It is pretty unique and new for a member to blatantly lie and then have an organization also lie on their behalf, Emily Witt, a spokesperson for the Texas Freedom Network, an Austin-based nonpartisan, grassroots organization that supports religious freedom, individual liberties, and public education, told Reckon.

The organization claims its supplemental curriculum will be announced in other states soon. But advocates in Texas are fighting back.

On Tuesday morning, several members of the Texas State Board of Education and education advocacy groups will attend a press conference at the state Capitol building in Austin to express concern over attempts to bring PragerU into classrooms.

PragerUs endeavor to introduce their misguided and contentious curriculum into Texas public schools raises significant concerns for students, families, and educators in the state, said Aicha Davis, a Member of the State Board of Education, in a press release. The recent well-documented endeavors of the Florida Governor, seeking to impose his political objectives through PragerU in Floridas schools, will be met with apprehension across Texas. We are committed to working with students and families throughout Texas to prevent the infiltration of radical political ideologies into our public education system.

While a range of opinions is undoubtedly a sign of a robust education system, PragerUs videos introduce themes, ideas, and facts that have been widely discredited and, in the opinion of some, are only designed to create cultural divisiveness.

I think that this move in this narrative is quite frankly hyperpolarizing and is being done on purpose, said Ameshia Cross, the assistant director of Higher Education Communication at The Education Trust. The problem here is Texas has become a battleground for equity for minority students. Were watching the Houston Independent School District, one of the largest minority school districts in the country, be taken over by a state that doesnt care about facts or the students.

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What back to school means in the era of PragerU - Reckon