WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida is the first state in the country to partner with PragerU Kids, a conservative-leaning educational media company, as an educational vendor.
The Florida Department of Education recently announced the partnership with the company, which bills itself as an "educational, entertaining, pro-American kids shows for every grade."
State officials said the videos can be used with discretion by school districts.
The company's website states that they are combating a woke agenda. CEO Marissa Streit said she's aware there is pushback.
"When they make up lies about us it's disappointing," Streit said, "because either they haven't watched our content or they have watched our content and they're ignoring the truth."
PragerU Kids' YouTube channel features titles that parents like Palm Beach County resident Michael Chavers feel make sense.
"The topics are good but," Chavers said, "I don't know what's in it. The topics sound, how to take ownership of your life, 'Otto's Tales: The National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance,' 'Cash Course: Using Financial Institutions,' 'Cash Course: Student Loans 101.'"
Other parents like Edvin Malagic of Palm Beach County have a little more pause.
"Because they're owned by [Dennis] Prager, then obviously they're going to have those same sort of leanings," Malagic said. "They have the same parent company."
Prager is a conservative radio talk show host and writer.
The controversy seems to lie with PragerU Kids' parent company — PragerU. Their separate YouTube channel claims to promote "pro-American values" and includes videos with titles like "Make Men Masculine Again" and "Just Say 'Merry Christmas.'"
WPTV asked the state if teachers will have access to this content as part of the deal. We are waiting for a response.
"PragerU Kids is what's becoming an actual vendor in the state of Florida," Streit explained. "It is the piece that they have approved, so it's from the same organization, but the educational piece and the turnkey lessons we produce are within the PragerU Kids department."
WPTV asked state officials for an interview regarding the partnership with PragerU Kids. Instead, they sent us the following statement:
"The Florida Department of Education reviewed PragerU Kids and determined the material aligns to Florida's revised civics and government standards."
WPTV will continue to press them for more details.
