Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has rejected a new advanced African-American studies course being taught on high school campuses. The Republican has explained that said matter violates state law and “lacks educational value”as reported by The Guardian. The Government is carrying out a series of movements to maintain conversations and lessons related to race, sexuality and gender identity out of the classrooms.
a letter of prohibition
DeSantis has officially banned the course through ua letter addressed to the College Boardthe organization in charge of managing the university preparation exams and overseeing the advanced courses that allow students to obtain credits. The letter, which was sent on January 12, states that the course is “inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.” “Like all new AP courses, AP African American Studies is undergoing a rigorous multi-year pilot phasegathering feedback from teachers, students, academics and policymakers,” the College Board responded in a statement.
“The process of piloting and reviewing course frameworks is a standard part of any new AP course, and as a result, frames often change significantly“, he added. In the summer of 2022, as reported by The Guardian, the launch of a pilot program was announced to “offer secondary school students a introduction to african american studies” in a total of 60 secondary schools.
Two controversial laws
DeSantis, a longtime ally of Donald Trump, signed the Stop Woke law in April 2022, which limits “race-based” discussions in Florida schools. This same bigoted approach he has taken in conversations about sexuality and gender identity. In March 2022, he approved the “don’t say gay” law which prohibits studies on sexual orientation from preschool to third grade (children 8-9 years).
According to the Associated Press, the DeSantis administration has asked Florida universities to make public the number and age of students who have sought treatment for gender change, including sex reassignment surgery and prescriptions for hormones. At the moment, it is unknown why he has requested this information from educational entities, but this is causing him Strong problems with associations and with Disneya major tourism and employment hub in Florida.