Public hearing on K–12 science textbooks draws criticism over Florida editions and redactions

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 material adoptions," said Carol Lerner, who identified herself as a longtime public-education supporter. "Let's allow our Sarasota professionals to fully do their job."

Michael Weddle, who described himself as a PhD and longtime teacher and public speaker on science topics, warned of "science deniers in politics" and said textbooks vetted for Florida can omit key material. "What I read was that one chemistry textbook had to remove 90 pages of health science in order to make it past the Florida censors," Weddle said.

Robin Williams, who said she taught biology and environmental science for decades, told the board that requiring Florida editions functionally limits teachers' choices and can amount to "book banning." She asked whether only one book was approved for certain widely taught courses and whether financial constraints on districts or publishers limited options.

Several speakers asked the board to obtain from publishers the original editions with redactions marked so the board can see what was removed. Wendy Rosen, speaking as a Support Our Schools advocate, said the board should "find out exactly what was edited out of these books before you vote." Marjorie Peter urged the board to use its influence to press state policymakers about the selection process and named House Bill 1645 as a legislative signal she said deprioritized climate change instruction.

Superintendent Conner told the board the public hearing is the required forum for comment and that no vote will be taken tonight; adoption of the recommended materials is scheduled for the Feb. 18 regular meeting. Board members did not make a decision to delay or alter the timeline during the hearing.

Speakers raised related procedural concerns: teachers who want to bring supplemental materials reportedly must seek preapproval, which some speakers said discourages the use of contemporaneous scientific material in class.

The board closed the hearing after taking public comment and moved on to other agenda business. Community members who asked for more documentation urged the board to request original, unedited publisher texts and highlighted the effect of any removals on student preparedness for statewide and national tests.

The public hearing and the required 20-day review period remain part of the formal adoption process; the board will vote on whether to adopt the recommended K–12 science materials at its Feb. 18 meeting.