DeSantis bans course on African-American study in Florida – 01/23/2023 – World

Florida Governor and one of the most powerful names in the Republican Party, Ron DeSantis has banned the implementation of an extracurricular course on African American studies in high school. The politician alleges that the project is a form of indoctrination.

The idea for the course was announced last year by the College Board, a body that organizes preparatory exams for universities. The pilot would initially be offered in 60 US schools this year and then be rolled out to other institutions. But not in Florida.

The state Department of Education led by DeSantis sent a statement to the College Board a little over a week ago saying that it did not agree with the implementation of the project.

“The content of this course has no educational value”, says an excerpt from the note. “In the future, the College Board should submit proposals with accurate historical content.”

DeSantis returned to the theme this Monday (23). The Republican said he wanted “education, not indoctrination”. “This black history course has queer theory as one of its topics; that means someone is imposing a political agenda on our children.”

On the College Board website, it is stated that classes would involve subjects such as literature, political science, and geography to explore contributions and experiences of African Americans.

The release also brings testimony from Nikki Taylor, director of the Department of History at Howard University, the most prestigious institution of higher education dedicated to black students in the USA. “[O curso] It’s a solid understanding of how African Americans have shaped America.”

On social media, DeSantis allies such as Florida Secretary of Education Manny Diaz Jr. said the state rejected implementation of the course because it “was full of critical race theory.” “We proudly demand the teaching of African-American history, but we do not accept indoctrination disguised as education in our schools.”

Diaz was referring to the school of legal thought founded by black and Latino professors in the 1980s that had the US as its cradle and became the focus of republican politicians in recent years to bar debates about race in the classroom. Florida was one of the states that banned the subject in education.

According to a survey by the Education Week education portal, since January 2021 at least 42 American states have presented bills or adopted measures that restrict the teaching of the critical theory of race or, then, limit how teachers can debate racism and sexism in the classroom. of class.

In addition to advancing race debates in schools, DeSantis has done something similar in debates about the LGBTQIA+ population. In March, he signed into law a bill that effectively allows parents to sue teachers who raise diversity issues.

The bill, dubbed “Don’t Say Gay,” prohibits instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through junior high.

The governor of Florida was criticized by social organizations and members of the opposition, such as the vice president of the United States, the Democrat Kamala Harris. Speaking at an event in Tallahassee, DeSantis State, she said those who ban the teaching of American history “do not have the right to forge America’s future.”

DeSantis was re-elected to governor of Florida in the midterms, the midterm elections held last November, with nearly 60% of the vote. With a growing rejection of the figure of Donald Trump among Republican Party supporters, DeSantis is seen as a kind of natural successor to the former president to run for the White House in the next US election, in 2024.