DeSantis Threatens Florida Ban Of AP Classes In Latest College Board Jab
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Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday he could propose removing the College Board’s Advanced Placement classes from Florida schools, threatening an escalation of a weeks-long public feud between the governor and the education group over content of their classes, which DeSantis blasted as “awake” “indoctrination.
Important facts
DeSantis said at a news conference he spoke with Florida House Speaker Paul Renner (R-Palm Coast) about lawmakers potentially “reevaluating” course offerings.
The governor instead suggested that “other providers” might be able to offer similar AP-style programs — giving high school students a chance to earn college credit — even though the college board dominates the industry.
The Florida Department of Education last month rejected an AP African American studies course that DeSantis said was trying to advance a “political agenda” that he likened to Marxism by including black feminism and queer studies as part of the curriculum.
The College Board did not respond to a request for comment from forbes on DeSantis’ recent comment, but it did send out a statement over the weekend accusing Florida officials of “slander” and branding an attempt to block African-American studies classes a “PR stunt.”
Crucial quote
“That college board — nobody elected her to anything,” DeSantis said. “They’re just there offering that service, and you may or may not use those services.”
against
The college board changed the curriculum of its AP African American Studies class after the Florida rejection, removing intersectional topics from the course — as well as widely read black authors, including Ta Nehisi-Coates and Bell Hooks — and references to critical race theory. a loosely defined academic framework that argues that US legal institutions are inherently racist toward Black Americans.
key background
DeSantis’ stance against so-called “wake” messaging was a hallmark of his time as governor, particularly when it came to education. The governor and his administration have enacted policies such as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which bans classroom discussions of sexual orientation or gender identity through third grade, while creating new policies that allow for the removal of state-designated controversial materials from school libraries, according to the request to universities to provide data on how many students have received gender-affirming medical treatments. The dust cloud with the College Board comes as all signs point to DeSantis running for president in 2024 and setting up what is likely to be a scorched-earth Republican primary while battling with former President Donald Trump for support of the party’s fiercely conservative base. Polls suggest DeSantis is by far the most viable GOP alternative to Trump at this point — the latest poll average from RealClearPolitics has DeSantis at 30% support, behind Trump’s 48% but well ahead of former Vice President Mike Pence, who is 7 % took third place.
Continue reading
DeSantis Considers Ending AP Courses for Florida Students (Orlando Sentinel)
DeSantis Defends Florida Rejecting AP’s African American Studies Course (Forbes)
College Board restricts AP African American Studies after DeSantis complaint — here’s what was removed (Forbes)
DeSantis Unveils ‘Stop WOKE Act’ So Parents Can Sue Over Critical Race Theory in Schools (Forbes)
Rejecting AP Studies, Restricting Libraries: How DeSantis and Its ‘Anti-Woke’ Policy Affect Florida Education (Forbes)
DeSantis more popular than Trump among these key groups ahead of 2024, poll finds (Forbes)
Trump launches 2024 presidential bid (Forbes)
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