The state of Florida has rejected an AP African American studies program

The state blocked a pilot advanced placement African American studies course and says the program is contrary to the law under the administration of Governor Ron DeSantis.

The administration of Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, is blocking a new Advanced Placement course on African American studies for high school students.

“In a letter to the College Board, the Florida Department of Education’s Office of Articulation said the course is “inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value,” CNN reports.”

What the agency found objectionable was not included in the letter’s detailed explanation.

“The letter stated that if College Board is willing to come back to the table with lawful, historically accurate content, FDOE will always be willing to reopen the discussion.”

“We are not going to address the decision in Florida directly, but we are looking forward to bringing this rich and inspiring exploration of African-American history and culture to students across the country,” said the College Board.

This comes after DeSantis tries to change Florida’s educational program and restrict the teaching of critical racial theory. State law in 2021 banned the concept of examining the origins of systemic racism in the United States and its ongoing effects.

The law also prohibited The New York Times’ 1619 Project, an initiative to reframe American history around the arrival of slave ships on American shores that won a Pulitzer Prize. In 2022, DeSantis also signed legislation that restricted how schools could discuss race with students.

“According to Jones, this political extremism and its attack of Black History and Black people is going to create an entire generation of Black children who won’t be able to see themselves reflected at all within their own education or in their own state.”

The College Board announced plans to offer an African American studies course for the first time last year. The course will be offered as a pilot in 60 schools across the country during the 2022-23 school year, with the goal of making it available to all schools in the 2024-25 school year. The first AP African American Studies exam will be administered in the spring of 2025 according to the College Board website.

The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program has been working with colleges and universities to create an African American Studies program for the past ten years.