Florida’s decision to ban AP African American Studies in schools

Elizabeth Leffew, Staff Writer

On Jan. 12, 2023, the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) issued a letter to College Board declaring its decision to ban Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies courses in high schools. The FDOE claimed that the course was inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value. College Board and others condemned Gov. Ron DeSantis and the FDOE for slander and pushing their political agenda onto students.

"We deeply regret not immediately denouncing the Florida Department of Education's slander, magnified by the DeSantis administration's subsequent comments, that African American Studies 'lacks educational value,'" the College Board said (from the INSIDER). "Our failure to raise our voice betrayed Black scholars everywhere and those who have long toiled to build this remarkable field."

AP African American Studies is a course that covers a wide range of topics, like literature, arts, humanities, geography, political science, non-political science, and the experiences of African Americans. DeSantis and the FDOE believe that this course promotes critical race theory, essentially teaching students to distrust their peers. 

“Curricula are never intended to persuade someone to think a certain way,” Northview principal Martin Neuhaus said. “It is to provide information so that students can think for themselves. Fulton County School (FCS) is very clear on our curricula, and, if we deviate from them, we will be held accountable. We try to teach different perspectives so students can see things from different viewpoints. It is like a glass that is half full or half empty, and five different people could describe it five different ways.”

The FDOE used College Board’s historical examples as a means to discredit the course, saying that, by teaching these events, they would be teaching students to hate and discriminate against each other. The College Board admitted that it left its motives up to interpretation when concerning contemporary events such as the Black Lives Matter movement, mass incarceration, and reparations. However, it meant for these events to be an optional part of the course framework, not a required topic of discussion. 

“FCS is a part of the pilot of that course,” superintendent Brian Downey said. “We have four schools that will be helping with the AP pilot of that course next year. So it will be offered in our district and we are participating in the AP process and in developing their courses. I don’t think Northview was one of the schools.”

The College Board also accused the FDOE of trying to claim a political victory by taking credit for changes made by the College Board when, in reality, there had been no previous discussions. The FDOE claimed that there had been frequent discussions between themselves and the College Board, but the College Board clarified that there had been no negotiations about the content of the course and that it had not received any suggestions or requests from the FDOE or DeSantis. 

"We have made the mistake of treating FDOE with the courtesy we always accord to an education agency, but they have instead exploited this courtesy for their political agenda," the Board said (from NPR). "After each written or verbal exchange with them, as a matter of professional protocol, we politely thanked them for their feedback and contributions, although they had given none."

Recently, DeSantis signed several laws that restrict what can and cannot be taught in Florida schools. For example, DeSantis signed the "Parental Rights to Education" law, also known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, which stops teachers from being able to discuss sexual orientation and gender identity in their classrooms. In response, the College Board said that it should have come out more strongly against these laws and criticisms sooner, sharing that its failure to raise its voice betrayed Black scholars and those who have worked in this field.

“DeSantis likes to make noise and he’s running for president,” former United States Assistant Secretary of Education Chester E. Finn Jr. said (from the New York Times). “But, they’ve been getting feedback from all over the place in the 60 schools they’ve been piloting this in. I think it’s a way of dealing with the U.S. at this point, not just DeSantis. Some of these things they might want to teach in New York but not Dallas or in San Francisco but not St. Petersburg.”

There is a concern about what effect this will have on students, teachers, and schools. Teachers feel that they need to constantly look over their shoulders and worry about what they can teach. Schools face backlash from parents and students because they are no longer able to take a course due to the controversy and potential bias, while also causing students to feel discriminated against.