ST. PETERSBURG -- Congressman Charlie Crist, who's running for the Democratic nomination for governor, is attacking the state for rejecting textbooks.
Crist accuses Governor DeSantis of posturing for a possible 2024 Presidential campaign. "The governor is so focused on 2024 and pandering to Republican primary voters, he's putting your education on the line, for the sake of his politics."
Crist held a Zoom roundtable with parents who support him. They have a variety of complaints about the state's move. Raegan Miller, who says she's a parent of a child in Pinellas public schools, says that only a couple of years ago there was a lot of support for teachers and "something happened."
"People became angry about masks, and then it was CRT, and now they have gone as far as saying our teachers are indoctrinating our students," Miller said.
Gregg Ross, who lives in Brevard County, says the state's decision to approve just one math textbook goes against a decision by his local school board that met with no opposition from the community. He accused DeSantis of "wolf whistl(ing)" to "extremist groups," a definition he claims includes the group Moms for Liberty. Ross says the district already has a large teacher shortage and decisions like these will only make it worse.
Damaris Allen, a parent from Hillsborough County who sued against the governor's no-mask order in schools, worries that her child's advanced placement classes could lose accreditation if the state removes material it claims represents critical race theory or social emotional learning.
Crist also spoke about the new law abolishing the Reedy Creek Improvement District at Disney World, responding to a question from News Channel 8 reporter Jeff Patterson. "Disney is a revered institution in our state... and our country. The fact that our governor and our legislature and our governor are trying to pick on them is astonishing."
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