Jan 20 (Reuters) – Florida’s education chief on Friday defended the state’s rejection of a proposed Advanced Placement course in African American Studies, saying the public schools already teach about racism and slavery, while lashing out at “woke indoctrination.”
The rejection of the course was the latest in a series actions by the administration of conservative Republican Governor Ron DeSantis on issues that strike a nerve in the country’s culture wars, including outlawing some educational efforts regarding racism, slavery and LGBTQ rights. DeSantis is widely expected to seek his party’s nomination for the presidency in 2024.
“We proudly require the teaching of African American history,” Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. posted on Twitter. “We do not accept woke indoctrination masquerading as education.”
The program, which is in the pilot stage, was developed by the College Board, a non-profit that administers Advanced Placement tests that help high school students gain college credits.
Florida is one of several states that have banned public schools from teaching “Critical Race Theory,” an academic framework that teaches that racism goes beyond individual prejudices and “is embedded in laws, policies and institutions that uphold and reproduce racial inequalities,” according to the NAACP.
On Jan. 12, Florida sent a letter to the College Board saying the AP course violated Florida law and lacked educational value.
The White House on Friday condemned the move, with spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre calling rejection of the course “incomprehensible.” She noted that Florida was not banning AP courses on European history and said the action was of a piece with earlier moves by DeSantis, including banning teaching young children about LGBTQ issues.
