Press%20Release%20-%20FL%20Social%20Studies%20Distortions.pdf
PRESS RELEASE
Sheri Krass, a retired Secondary Math teacher, and the head of Patriots United – a Tea Party organization – has created the Florida Textbook Action Team (TAT). County TAT’s have been formed throughout the State.
Citizens for National Security (CFNS) – Dr. Bill Saxton, Chairman – spent over 14 months researching all Social Studies textbooks approved by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE). They identified over 200 excerpts that have pro-Islam/anti-Jewish/Christian/Israel bias.
Although the CFNS research was focused on Islamic inaccuracies, the TAT is also concerned about incorrect information our children are learning about our history, government, and Constitution.
This is a Grassroots effort – not organized by the Tea Party Patriots or 912 Project. The majority of members of the TAT’s are parents and grandparents who want to ensure that the children in our State are taught accurate information. The excerpts identified by the CFNS were found to be slanted, distorted, and biased.
A few excerpts found in the APPROVED textbooks that are being used in our Public Schools:
EXCERPT #1: World History: Patterns of Interaction (IL: McDougal-Littell, 2007)
Page 1017
The land now called Palestine consists of Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
The implication of this excerpt is that Israel occupies land that actually belongs to Palestine.
EXCERPT # 2: World Cultures and Geography: Eastern Hemisphere and Europe Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/McDougal Littell
TWTT pgs. 84, 101:
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all share common traits. Judaism is a story of exile. Christians believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah. The Qur’an is the collection of God’s revelations to Muhammad. 18, 32 [emphasis added]
This implies that it is only with the emergence of Islam that the truth is revealed.
Children who read something in a textbook assume it is accurate information. It becomes more clear why our youth, born and raised in the United States, are becoming “radicalized”.
On January 10, 2011, County TAT’s are mailing letters to School Districts, County School Boards, the FDOE, and State Senators and Representatives – listing the flawed textbooks used in each county.
Because it is unreasonable to expect these textbooks be removed in this school year, the TAT wants each School District to provide a handout to the students listing the faulty excerpts. Teachers should be required to provide an explanation as to why these excerpts are unacceptable. The CFNS will provide these excerpts.
The State Instructional Materials Committee (SIMC) is meeting this year to approve Social Studies textbooks for the coming 2011-2012 school year. This approval is for six years. The TAT wants the FDOE to inform the publishers of these textbooks that they will not be approved until a revised edition is issued correcting these faulty excerpts.
The Florida TAT would like to have members – who have already applied to SIMC and are aware of the misinformation in these textbooks – on the committee.
Contact: Sheri Krass, Patriots United
sheri@patriots-united.com
954-306-3103
Dr. Bill Saxton, Citizens for National Security
uscfns@aol.com
561-483-6430
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