Ron DeSantis Administration Rejects Inclusion of AP African American Studies Class In Florida High Schools

Ron DeSantis

Ron DeSantis Administration Rejects Inclusion of AP African American Studies Class In Florida High Schools

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and his administration are blocking an Advanced Placement course for high school students on African American studies.

Florida’s education department rejected the program in a letter last week to the College Board, which oversees AP classes, citing the course is

 “inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.”

While the letter did not specify what Florida education officials found objectionable, it stated,

“In the future, should College Board be willing to come back to the table with lawful, historically accurate content, FDOE will always be willing to reopen the discussion.”

According to reports, The College Board revealed plans to offer an African American studies class for the first time last year. The course is being offered as a pilot in 60 schools across the country during the 2022-23 school year, with the goal of making the course available to all schools in the 2024-25 school year.

The College Board said in a statement:

“Like all new AP courses, AP African American Studies is undergoing a rigorous, multi-year pilot phase, collecting feedback from teachers, students, scholars and policymakers. The process of piloting and revising course frameworks is a standard part of any new AP course, and frameworks often change significantly as a result.”

The statement added,

“We will publicly release the updated course framework when it is completed and well before this class is widely available in American high schools.”

The rejection of an Advanced Placement African American Studies course follows Ron Desantis’ efforts to overtake Florida’s educational curriculum to limit teaching about critical race theory. In 2021, Florida enacted a law that banned teaching the concept, which explores the history of systemic racism in the United States.

Last year the governor signed legislation called the “Stop WOKE Act” that restricts certain race-based conversations in schools and businesses.

Desantis has yet to speak out on his recent ruling.

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