Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that the state has rejected an advanced placement course in African American studies.
The College Board’s proposal to the state would have brought a college-level course in African American studies to high schools.
The decision to keep the Advanced Placement course out of Florida schools drew public attention and raised questions about what the course is and is not.
David Canton is the Director of African American Studies at the University of Florida.
“They teach about African-American life, history, and culture from an African-American perspective,” Canton said.
At a press conference Monday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the course was inserting a political agenda about the children taking the course.
“That’s the wrong side of the line by Florida standards,” DeSantis said, “We believe in teaching kids facts and how to think, but we don’t think an agenda should be forced on them.”
Canton said that’s not the case.
“They think the course is designed to turn students into activists or left-wing radicals,” he said, “They indoctrinate students to see the world in a particular way and do something about it.”
He said the course is meant to show students the people, organizations and individuals involved and allow them to decide what to do with the information.
The rejection of the course comes after the DeSantis administration passed a series of laws to restrict the way race and gender are discussed in classrooms.
Laws like the one he called “Stop WOKE” that removed Critical Race Theory from being raised in school.
“When I heard it wasn’t up to standards, I thought they might be doing CRT,” DeSantis said, “it’s so much more than that. this black history course, what is one of the lessons about? Strange theory. Now who would say that the important part of black history is queer theory. He is someone who pushes an agenda for our children.”
Canton said that the LGBTQ community has always been a part of the African American community.
“What they are saying is studying blacks in history, but not studying their sexual orientation. somehow separate that out,” she said.
Canton said that when the College Board and FDOE meet again, he hopes there will be an open conversation about what the core of the course is.
The College Board will rework the course framework and meet with state officials in about a month.
