On Friday, the White House criticized the Florida Department of Education’s decision to not approve an Advanced Placement course on African American studies for the state’s public schools. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre noted that the department’s rejection of the course was “inexplicably contrary” to Florida law and “significantly lacks educational value” in a Jan. 12 letter to the College Board.
Jean-Pierre said that while the White House does not dictate any curriculum for local schools, the situation in Florida is concerning in light of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis having signed into law legislation last year banning “critical race theory” in schools and another new law that restricts teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity during instruction, as well as books that Florida has banned from schools.
The College Board offers Advanced Placement courses, typically taken by high-achieving students, to offer college credit for those who earn high enough scores on final exams. Jean-Pierre noted that AP European history, art history, and music history were not blocked by the Florida Department of Education, making the decision to not approve the AP African American studies course “incomprehensible.”
The White House has criticized the Florida Department of Education’s decision to not approve an Advanced Placement course on African American studies for the state’s public schools. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre expressed concern over the decision, noting that it was “inexplicably contrary” to Florida law and “significantly lacks educational value” in a Jan. 12 letter to the College Board.
The Advanced Placement courses offered by the College Board provide college credit for high-achieving students who earn high enough scores on final exams. The decision to not approve the AP African American studies course stands in contrast to the department’s approval of AP European history, art history, and music history courses, something Jean-Pierre noted was “incomprehensible.”
The situation has been further complicated by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signing into law legislation last year that bans “critical race theory” in schools, as well as another law that restricts teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity during instruction, along with books that Florida has banned from schools.
The White House has yet to comment further on the Florida Department of Education’s decision.