Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday that the state blocked a new Advanced Placement high school course on African American studies because it was based on a "political agenda" focusing on "indoctrination" and not "education."
DeSantis, while speaking at a press conference Monday in Jacksonville, Florida, said that the state's education standards "require teaching on Black history, all the important things, that's part of our core curriculum."
"We want education, not indoctrination," the Republican governor said. "If you fall on the side of indoctrination, we're going to decline."
After hearing about the specifics of the AP course, DeSantis said it went way beyond not meeting the state's standards.
"What's one of the lessons about? Queer theory," he said. "Now who would say that an important part of Black history is queer theory? That is somebody pushing an agenda on our kids.
"When you look to see they have stuff about intersectionality, abolishing prisons, that's a political agenda. That's the wrong side of the line for Florida 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 shoehorn in queer theory, you are clearly trying to use that for political purpose."
DeSantis' remarks were his first public statements on the state's rejection of a new AP course.
The Florida Department of Education informed the College Board of its decision in a Jan. 12 letter.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Friday blasted DeSantis for blocking the AP course.
"It is incomprehensible to see … this ban or this block, to be more specific, that DeSantis has put forward," Jean-Pierre told reporters despite initially saying, "The administration does not dictate any curriculum for any schools. That's not something that we do here."
She also claimed Florida "bans teachers from talking about who they are and who they love."
DeSantis, who overwhelmingly won reelection in November, has continued his emphasis on education. He began his second term by mandating that all state university and college systems report expenditures and resources used for campus activities related to progressive topics such as diversity, equity and inclusion, and critical race theory.
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