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SACRAMENTO – There is no law in California requiring students to use Arabic numbers in schools – because they already do. Arabic numerals are what Europeans and Americans use: The 10-digit system.
A post by the Last Line of Defense claimed Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a requirement that students learn Arabic numerals. But California students, like others around the world, already use the Hindu-Arabic numeral system.
Brown's deputy press secretary Brian Ferguson says the post serves to "stoke fear and misinformation."
Ferguson says California encourages young people to study Hindu-Arabic numerals – "or as we call them, 'numbers.' "
The photo the conservative site shared of Brown speaking at a bill-signing ceremony was from a July event in San Francisco about climate change.
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This is part of The Associated Press' ongoing effort to fact-check misinformation that is shared widely online, including work with Facebook to identify and reduce the circulation of false stories on the platform.
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