MOVIN’ RIGHT

PragerU Says Florida Teachers Approved to Use Its Class ‘Curriculum’

It’s the latest shakeup to Florida’s public education curriculum, which has taken a sharp conservative turn under Gov. Ron DeSantis’ leadership.

The right-wing advocacy group PragerU, infamous for publishing nationalistic videos and for its founder’s hate of Pride Month, said Monday that the breadth of its “PragerU Kids” material was approved by Florida to be used in classrooms throughout the state.

A PragerU spokesperson told The Daily Beast it will be “up to teachers” to decide whether they use its “supplemental curriculum” in their classroom. The non-profit says Florida is the first state to approve the content, but they’re pushing for other states to join by the fall.

The Florida Department of Education told The Daily Beast in an email that it determined PragerU Kids’ material “aligns to Florida’s revised civics and government standards” and can be used by school districts at their discretion.

The approval is the latest shakeup in Florida’s education curriculum that’s taken a sharp turn to the right under Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The announcement comes less than a week after the state announced middle school students would be taught that slavery was beneficial to some Black people, and as DeSantis actively cheerleads the Moms For Liberty—classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center—as they fight to restrict education about race and gender.

In a video message, an “ecstatic” PragerU CEO Marissa Streit announced the “move into schools,” claiming “parents have been frustrated, teachers have been frustrated,” because “schools have been hijacked by the left, they have been politicized, they have been used by union bosses, they have been doing everything under the sun not for our children.”

Streit added teachers in Florida “cannot be fired for using PragerU content,” while adding “we are just getting started.”

‘CULT SPECIALIST’

Tucker Carlson Laps Up Grad’s Claim of Unlearning ‘Woke-ism’

William Vaillancourt

In a press release, PragerU said it's pushing to be approved in classrooms nationwide after “thousands of American teachers and school board members” contacted them “desperate for wholesome, quality, engaging resources to help educate their students.”

“They are sick and tired of curriculum laced with radical political agendas—from Critical Race Theory and gender fluidity to overt anti-Americanism,” the release said. “PragerU is answering this call to serve our great nation on the most important front—the education of America’s youth.”

Videos published by PragerU Kids, like PragerU itself, have conservative and nationalistic undertones. In a web page showcasing videos for the classroom, one is titled Patriotic Paper Flute, while others include instructional videos on historical figures and financial literacy.

The content, both in cartoon format and with human hosts–notably a woman named “Jill”–, is labeled for use in elementary, middle and high school classrooms. It’s unclear if traditional PragerU videos—with titles such as Why I Left the Left and Immigrants! Don't Support What You Fled among their most popular—will be permitted for use in Florida classrooms.

PragerU has been stirring controversy since it was founded in 2009 by the conservative radio host Dennis Prager. Despite its name, the organization is not an accredited academic institution, nor does it issue degrees.

However, PragerU has tallied more than a billion views on YouTube by pedaling the incorrect assertion that there’s no wage gap between men and women, and by publishing videos that garner controversy—like praising Confederate General Robert E. Lee for crushing an attempted slave rebellion. The nonprofit also publishes documentaries, with the latest being titled, Unwoke Inc.

PragerU doesn’t try to hide its right-wing affiliations, instead leaning into it in Monday’s announcement.

“PragerU effectively counters the left-wing propaganda they are pushing on children,” PragerU said in a news release. “They don’t want children to be exposed to an education grounded in our nation’s founding principles and traditional values that inspires self-reliance, gratitude, and a love of America.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office did not return a request for comment.

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Josh FialloBreaking News Reporter

Matt YoungEditor

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.