Course on African American studies blocked in Florida by Governor Ron DeSantis

A newly-introduced Advanced Placement course, based on African American studies, was stopped by the administration of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis from being taught to students in high schools, stating that the course is in violation of state law and is inaccurate historically.Last week, the programme was rejected by the state education department in a letter sent to the College Board, which is responsible for overseeing Advanced Placement classes.

The education officials of Florida did not clearly state what content was found objectionable by the state, but said, “As presented, the content of this course is inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.”

“In the future, should College Board be willing to come back to the table with lawful, historically accurate content, (the education department) will always be willing to reopen the discussion,” the letter added.

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The College Board, in a statement, said, “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,” read the statement.

The course has been described as interdisciplinary by the College Board website, which further states that it touches on humanities, arts, science, literature, geography and political science. For more than a decade, the organisation has been working on creating the course, as per the website.

DeSantis, a potential candidate for the 2024 presidential race, has raised opposition against what he terms as liberal ideologies in schools, which include studies around critical race theory that studies systemic racism and has become conservatives' frequent target.

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The governor, last year, signed legislation dubbed the Stop WOKE Act which restricts a few race-based conversations as well as analysis in businesses and schools. The law prohibits following the instruction which says members of a particular race are racist by inheritance or should carry guilt for racist acts committed by others in the past who belong to the same race.

The budget office of the governor recently called on state colleges to provide information on expenditure in running programmes related to inclusion, diversity, critical race theory, and equity and raising concerns on the chances of cutting down on funds being spent on such initiatives.

(With inputs from agencies)

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