Last week, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre decided to lash out at Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis after the state Education Department rejected an advanced placement (AP) course on African American studies crafted by the College Board.
“It is incomprehensible to see that this is what this ban—or this block, to be more specific—that DeSantis has put forward. If you think about the study of black Americans, that is what he wants to block and, again, these types of actions aren’t new, especially from what we’re seeing from Florida, sadly,” Jean-Pierre told reporters during her daily briefing.
She declined to discuss the state’s actual objections.
Instead, she added, “Let’s not forget, they didn’t ban—they didn’t block . . . AP European History. They didn’t block our music history. They didn’t block our art history. But the state chooses to block a course that is meant for high-achieving high school students to learn about their history of arts and culture. And it is incomprehensible.”
In the news: Florida Supreme Court Says Local Governments Cannot Impose Gun Control
“Florida currently bans teachers from talking about who they are and who they love, as we’ve talked about many times in this briefing room,” she added. “They have banned more books in schools and libraries than almost every other state in the country,” she said.
What’s incomprehensible is how wrong someone who speaks for President Joe Biden could be.
During a press conference Monday on the “Teachers Bill of Rights” announcement, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis set the record straight.
“In the state of Florida, our education standards not only don’t prevent, but they require teaching black history, all of the important things, that’s part of our core curriculum,” DeSantis said.
This was a separate course on top of that for advanced placement credit, and the issue is, we have guidelines and standards in Florida. We want education, not indoctrination,” DeSanti said. “If you fall on the side of indoctrination, we’re going to decline. If it’s education, then we will do.”
“This course on black history. What are one of what’s one of the lessons about? Queer theory? Now who would say that an important part of black history is queer theory?” DeSantis said. “That is somebody pushing an agenda on our kids, and so when you look to see they have stuff about intersectionality, abolishing prisons, that’s a political agenda.”
“So that’s the wrong side of the line for Florida to standards. We believe in teaching kids facts and how to think, but we don’t believe they should have an agenda imposed on them. When you try to use black history to shoot horn in queer theory, you are clearly trying to use that for political purposes,” DeSantis concluded.
On Friday, DeSantis’ spokesman, Bryan Griffin, pointed out, Florida state law already requires the teaching of African American history in public schools.
The law itself says the following instruction is mandated for public school students:
In the news: Florida Gov. DeSantis Calls Hunter Biden’s Access To Classified Docs “A Security Risk”
“The history of African Americans, including the history of African peoples before the political conflicts that led to the development of slavery, the passage to America, the enslavement experience, abolition, and the history and contributions of Americans of the African diaspora to society.”
Moreover, the law adds, “Students shall develop an understanding of the ramifications of prejudice, racism, and stereotyping on individual freedoms, and examine what it means to be a responsible and respectful person, for the purpose of encouraging tolerance of diversity in a pluralistic society and for nurturing and protecting democratic values and institutions.”
It also adds, “Instruction shall include the vital contributions of African Americans to build and strengthen American society and celebrate the inspirational stories of African Americans who prospered, even in the most difficult circumstances.”
The AP course rejected by the state Education Department was loaded with references to Critical Race Theory, and other general woke nostrums.
For instance, a section of the curriculum on Black Queer Studies “explores the concept of the queer of color critique, grounded in Black feminism and intersectionality.”
Another part that tackles the concept of “colorblindness” includes a recommended book on the topic that colorblindness within the U.S. criminal justice system “functions as a contemporary system of racial control — relegating millions to a permanent second-class status.”
National Review columnist Stanley Kurtz noted that the curriculum also advocates the overthrow of the capitalist system.
In the news: Florida Gov. DeSantis Proposes Initiative To Make Protections From COVID Mandates Permanent
The DeSantis administration sent the College Board a letter saying it was rejecting the course because it was “inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.”
The letter offered the College Board the opportunity to fix the flaws in the curriculum and bring it back for consideration, so long as it provides “lawful, historically accurate content.”
In that column, Kurtz noted that the contributors the College Board turned to in order to develop the course are enthusiastic advocates of CRT.
“It takes guts to say no to a course that looks benign on the surface but is, in fact, filled with CRT and leftist propaganda. DeSantis has got guts,” wrote Kurtz, who wondered if other Republican governors would respond as DeSantis did.
“All honor to DeSantis for being faithful to both his word and to the law,” Kurtz added. “Truly, he is doing what it takes to stop woke.”
Android Users, Click Here To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook Here Or Twitter Here.