Collier County parents to get say in which textbooks their kids learn from

Parents in Collier County will soon get their say in the book battle over textbooks rejected by the state. The school district is set to hold a special meeting on Tuesday to discuss the books.

Emotional learning and racial theory are among some of the topics not making the cut in the Department of Education’s list of approved math textbooks.

RELATED: What textbooks were deemed inappropriate by the Florida Department of Education?

For Collier County schools, seven books they had planned to use have been rejected by the state. Inside one of the books for the high school level, you can find a math problem that reads “The probability of a black person being killed by a gunshot in the United States was 132 per million in 2010.”

WINK News showed the problem to a parent to see what she thought.

“I think if there’s a probability that is true, even if it’s not a happy one, I think a high school student should be able to be exposed to that truth,” said Kersey Campbell, a mother of three.

Campbell has a daughter in kindergarten and a son in 7th grade. The only problem she sees in this mathematical problem is if the stats were false.

“Just because it’s through math doesn’t necessarily mean they shouldn’t be exposed to that truth,” said Campbell.

Another one not making the cut is the textbook ‘Florida Reveal Math for First Grade.’ Managing emotions was not a topic the state approved of.

Through the book, students can come across questions like this, “What helps you make good decisions?” and “What helps you feel calm when you are angry?”

“I think that mental health is something people are generally like we as a society tend to be a little afraid of still. Like there’s a stigma about it and I think that I have a kindergartener and her teacher does a wonderful job of making sure all kids are acknowledging their feelings,” said Campbell.

Campbell says there are more things that can be learned than just basic reading, writing and math.

Collier County must decide what to do about seven math textbooks in all. One is geared toward elementary school kids and the other six are designed for middle and high school students.

The school district refused to talk about the issue in advance of Tuesday’s meeting. That meeting will take place.