Black historical past class to endure modifications, School Board says

The School Board has introduced modifications will probably be made to the brand new AP African American course framework amid criticism earlier this 12 months that the company bowed to political strain and eliminated a number of matters from the framework, together with Black Lives Matter, slavery reparations and queer life.

In a press release on Monday, the School Board mentioned the event committee and consultants charged with creating the course framework “have determined they’ll make modifications to the newest course framework throughout this pilot section. They’ll decide the main points of these modifications over the following few months.”

It stays unclear what the modifications are or when they are going to be made public.

The course gained nationwide consideration in February when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2024, mentioned he would ban the course in his state as a result of it pushed a political agenda.

“Within the state of Florida, our schooling requirements not solely don’t stop, however they require educating Black historical past, all of the vital issues. That’s a part of our core curriculum,” DeSantis beforehand mentioned. “We wish schooling and never indoctrination.”

The course was launched in 60 colleges within the U.S. and will probably be expanded to 800 colleges and 16,000 college students this upcoming faculty 12 months.

The School Board beforehand mentioned revisions to the course have been considerably full and never formed by political affect earlier than DeSantis shared his objections. School Board officers mentioned builders consulted with professors from greater than 200 schools, together with a number of traditionally Black establishments, and took enter from lecturers piloting the category.

The School Board mentioned the creation of the course was about entry to a self-discipline that isn’t extensively obtainable and entry for as many college students as potential and that each of these targets “got here into battle.”

The School Board provides AP programs throughout the educational spectrum, together with math, science, social research, overseas languages and tremendous arts. The programs are non-compulsory. Taught at a university stage, college students who rating excessive sufficient on the ultimate examination often earn course credit score at their college.

• Mumphrey reported from Phoenix. Knowledge journalist Sharon Lurye contributed to this report from New Orleans.

• The Related Press schooling crew receives assist from the Carnegie Company of New York. The AP is solely chargeable for all content material.