Florida said no last month to the College Board’s proposed Advanced Placement course on African American studies — and now Virginia is putting the course under the microscope.
“After numerous reports about draft course content, the governor asked the education secretariat to review the College Board’s proposed AP African American Studies course as it pertains to Executive Order 1,” Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s spokeswoman, Macaulay Porter, said.
The first executive order Youngkin signed in January 2022 called for an end to the use of inherently divisive concepts, including critical race theory.
The Washington Post first reported that Virginia, Mississippi, North Dakota and Arkansas are reviewing the course’s content.
Last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blocked the AP course, which is being tested in scores of high schools across the nation, saying it violates Florida law and is historically inaccurate.
The College Board said the course is drawn from the experience and expertise of college faculty and teachers, and it will be the most rigorous Black Studies program high school students have ever had.
Although the Virginia state education department is reviewing the material, local school divisions and not the state board of education decide which AP courses to offer.
