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Public hearing on K–12 science textbooks draws criticism over Florida editions and redactions
Summary
At a Jan. 14 Sarasota County School Board public hearing, residents and educators urged the board to review what was removed from Florida-edition K–12 science textbooks and asked for access to original publisher materials before the board's Feb. 18 adoption vote.
The Sarasota County School Board held a public hearing Jan. 14 on recommended K–12 science instructional materials, drawing several speakers who said Florida "editions" of textbooks have been censored and asked the district to obtain original versions with edits marked before adoption.
The hearing gave the public a chance to comment before the board plans to vote at its next regular meeting on Feb. 18, Superintendent Conner said. The district provided digital access to the recommended materials and a 20-day public review as required by statute, Conner told the board.
Residents and educators said the list of state-approved Florida editions reduced or removed material on topics such as climate change, health science and other subjects. "We don't want censorship at any stage of instructional…
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