Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis defended his state’s decision to reject the College Board’s recommendation for an Advanced Placement course in African-American studies on Monday after the White House referred to it as “incomprehensible.”
DeSantis claimed on Monday that the course in issue was dropped that it covered contentious subjects unrelated to African-American history, like “queer theory” and the abolition of prisons. Florida’s school standards, according to DeSantis, “not only don’t forbid black teaching history, all the critical things, but that’s also part of our core curriculum, they mandate it.”
“This history of Black people course. What is one of the teachings about, specifically? LGBTQ theory? Who would assert that queer theory is a significant aspect of Black history? When you see material about intersectionality and the abolition of jails, you can tell that someone is putting political agenda on our children.”
Must Check:
- Jason Hoppa Bond Conditions Tightened in High-profile Murder-for-hire Case
- New Details Emerge of American Eagle Ground Worker’s Tragic Death by Jet Plane
DeSantis made his remarks during a press conference on education held on Monday. He claimed that by removing the subject from high schools, the Florida Department of Education is protecting students from curricula that it claims adopt complex ideas from race theory. The course “seriously lacks educational value,” according to the Florida Department of Education.
Florida’s education commissioner, Manny Diaz Jr., stated this week that “despite the lies from the Biden White House, Florida rejected an AP course packed with Critical Race Theory and other blatant violations of Florida law.” “The teaching of African American history is proudly mandated. We reject woke brainwashing that passes for education.”
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, slammed Florida’s decision to discontinue the course last week and charged DeSantis with attempting to scrap all curriculum related to Black history. It is impossible to realize that this is what DeSantis’ proposed ban — or block, to be more precise — is, said Jean-Pierre.
“If you think about the study of Black Americans, that is what he wants to block, and again, these types of acts aren’t new, especially from what we’re seeing from Florida, tragically,” said one observer. A protest against the DeSantis administration’s decision to discontinue the subject, which they argue is advantageous and acceptable for high school students, has been organized by black political and religious figures in Florida.
A march is scheduled for February at the Florida capitol in Tallahassee to protest the choice. Critics claim that discontinuing the course will erase history. As we’ve discussed numerous times in this briefing room, Florida now forbids teachers from discussing who they are and who they love, according to Jean-Pierre on Friday.
“They have prohibited more books from libraries and classrooms than practically any other state in the nation.” According to the Florida Department of Education, its educational goals continue to incorporate African-American history.
