The Florida Department of Education has rejected an AP African-American studies class, asserting that the course runs afoul of state law and largely “lacks educational value.”
“As presented, the content of this course is inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value,” a letter from the Department of Education’s Office of Articulation to College Board Florida Partnership senior director Brian Barnes reads. “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.”
College Board indicates that the course is being piloted at 60 schools for 2022-2023 and that this will increase to hundreds more schools high schools in 2023-2024. According to National Review, a Florida State University lab school is involved — the outlet reported that the James G. Martin Center in North Carolina sought the release of curriculum and related material, but associate general counsel of Florida State University Gavin D. Burgess rejected the request, writing in December, “The vendor, College Board, has asserted that the materials you are seeking are trade secret and confidential.”
“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,” College Board said in a statement, according to reports. “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.”
“As submitted, the course is a vehicle for a political agenda and leaves large, ambiguous gaps that can be filled with additional ideological material, which we will not allow,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ press secretary Bryan Griffin noted, according to reports. “As Governor DeSantis has stated, our classrooms will be a place for education, not indoctrination.”
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