Florida Bans AP African American Studies
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida signed legislation last year that restricted how racism and other aspects of history can be taught in schools and workplaces. A federal judge blocked part of the law, which still applies to public schools. Credit. Daniel A. Varela/Miami Herald, via Associated Press
Florida will not allow a new Advanced Placement course on African American studies to be offered in high school due to its lack of “historical accuracy” and violation of state law.
In a letter last week, Florida’s Department of Education informed the College Board that they would no longer allow the AP African American studies test to be administered. As a result, students in Florida cannot get credit for this course.
This letter is questionable because it does not cite what is objectionable about the test. They have yet to respond when the department was asked for more details. However, last year, Governor Desantis signed legislation that restricted how racism and other aspects of history can be taught in school and workplace settings.
The College Board said on Thursday that the multiyear trial phase of the A.P. African American studies course is still ongoing. The multidisciplinary course covers civil rights, politics, literature, the arts, geography, and even literature in addition to history.
“The process of piloting and revising course frameworks is a standard part of any new A.P. course, and frameworks often change significantly as a result,” the College Board said. “We will publicly release the updated course framework when it is completed and well before this class is widely available in American high schools.”
Last year, a federal judge halted a portion of the Individual Freedoms Act, often known as the Stop WOKE Act. This portion of the act would have regulated workplace training on diversity and racial concerns. However, public schools are still subject to the legislation. The Parental Rights in Education Act of 2022, also known as “Don’t Say Gay” by its detractors, prohibits teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade, among other things.
This disruption will cause chaos in the educational system and hurt teachers’ abilities to teach students in a well-mannered fashion.
