Politico writer Joshua Zeitz wrote in an article Tuesday that he is worried Florida students will be unable to learn how to “parse maps of the Songhai Empire” under new state laws.
The Florida Department of Education did not approve a course put forward by the College Board on African-American studies “because it lack[ed] educational value and historical accuracy.” The course included a chapter on queer theory and taught tenets of critical race theory, according to the department. (RELATED: ‘I Wish They Had Been More Understanding’: Detransitioner Says Adults Told Him His Family Was ‘Enemy Number One’)
“While it is certainly true that Florida students already study some fundamentals of Black history, they are unlikely to learn about African linguistic diversity or how to parse maps of the Songhai Empire in their U.S. or world history courses,” Zeitz writes in the article.
Opinion: A close look at the AP African-American Studies course that DeSantis rejected reveals just the sort of interdisciplinary rigor students need to succeed. https://t.co/oC6h0qYygY
— POLITICO (@politico) January 31, 2023
On his Twitter, Zeitz has retweeted six instances of other users sharing the article.
DeSantis defended his administration’s decision not to approve the course in a press conference, saying, “The issue is, we have guidelines and standards in Florida. We want education, not indoctrination.”
The College Board is due to release an updated version of the course on Wednesday.