African American Studies

Proposals announced by DeSantis include a Teachers Bill of Rights, limits on unions, and partisan school board races. He also defended the state's cancellation of a Black studies AP course.

Florida House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell also criticized the DeSantis administration's decision to block an advanced placement high school course in African American studies.

Black lawmakers, religious leaders and local elected officials are organizing events to speak out after the state Department of Education’s Office of Articulation earlier this month sent a letter The College Board that the Advanced Placement African American Studies course won’t be offered in Florida public schools.

Florida state Sen. Shevrin Jones, a Democrat, says the proposed course "wasn't indoctrination, it wasn't ideology, it was facts." He fears blocking it will harm students in Florida and beyond.

Florida rejected an Advancement Placement course on African American studies, saying it's "filled with" critical race theory. But scholars who helped create the course say it's not in lesson plans.

The state education department rejected the program, saying it is "inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value."

A joint statement by Florida’s 28 state colleges said they stand for educational freedom and democratic citizenship, and reject what they termed as "indoctrination" and "woke" ideology.