Gov. DeSantis
By Bryan Boggiano
The Parkland city commission will vote on a resolution that would urge Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Education to rescind the state’s rejection of including Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies in the state’s approved curriculum.
The item will come up for a vote at the commission’s Wed., March 1 meeting, starting at 7 p.m.
On January 12, the Florida Department of Education notified the College Board Florida Partnership that it did not approve of the inclusion of the course because it is “inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value,” according to city documents.
The course’s rejection came after the governor signed the Stop WOKE Act and Parental Rights in Education Act into law in 2022, which limits classroom discussions on race, gender, and sexuality.
The College Board, which administers AP courses and oversees AP exams, subsequently revised the course’s structure and lecture materials.
According to the resolution, the course addresses a variety of fields, including arts, literature, humanities, political science, geography, and science, to explore the experience and contributions of African Americans and Black people.
AP African American Studies further explores how Black people and African Americans shaped America, the country’s history, laws, institutions, and culture.
The resolution notes the Florida Department of Education approved various other similar courses for inclusion in the Florida Course Code Directory and Instructional Personnel Assignments. These include AP European History, Chinese Language and Culture, French Language and Culture, Italian Language and Culture, Japanese Language and Culture, Latin and Spanish Language and Culture.
If passed, the commission would formally denounce the course’s exclusion and urge the state to include the course because of its value to students.
City Clerk Alyson Morales would then transmit a copy of the resolution to the office of Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Education.
The resolution comes as Lauderhill and Miramar passed similar measures supporting AP African American Studies on January 30 and February 1, respectively. Coral Springs will vote on a similar resolution at their next city commission meeting, also on March 1.
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