DeSantis’ War on Equality Continues as His Administration Rejects Proposal for AP African American Studies Class

The course was launched this academic year in 60 schools across the country and is set to expand to hundreds of high schools before all schools can begin offering it in 2024-25.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration rejected a College Board request to approve an Advanced Placement African American Studies course in the state.

“As presented, the content of this course is inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value,” reads the letter from the Florida Department of Education, according to National Review.

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Last April, DeSantis signed into law the Stop W.O.K.E. Act, which restricts the teaching of critical race theory in Florida.

The description of the course on the College Board’s website says it “reaches into a variety of fields—literature, the arts and humanities, political science, geography, and science—to explore the vital contributions and experiences of African Americans.”   

A pilot of the course was launched this academic year in 60 schools across the country and is set to expand to hundreds of high schools before all schools can begin offering it in 2024-25.

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Nikki Taylor, the chair of Howard University’s history department, wrote in a statement that courses like the Advanced Placement African American Studies class are important in expanding knowledge of US history.

“A solid understanding of how African Americans have shaped America, its history, laws, institutions, culture and arts, and even the current practice of American democracy, sharpens all knowledge about our nation,” Taylor wrote.