Florida Education: Stripping History From Schools

On January 25th, 2023, recent votes from the College Board stripped Florida schools from teaching A.P. Curriculums in African American Studies. This decision lead to much controversy among not only Floridians, but educational professors, too.

Governor Ron DeSantis also pushed for the decision to exclude educational standards from including lessons that taught students about gender identity and sexual orientation in late March of 2022.

Many Floridians have expressed their anger in DeSantis with protest around Florida, one including a walkout from students across the state in Tallahassee, Tampa, Orlando, and other cities. The student that organized the walkout, Jack Petocz, faced a indefinite suspension from his school, Flagler Palm Coast High School.

Democratic State Representative Fentrice Driskell expressed his disappointment in DeSantis’ decision to discontinue the A.P. course at a press conference in Tallahassee. “By rejecting the African American history pilot program, Ron DeSantis has clearly demonstrated that he wants to dictate whose history does — and doesn’t — belong,” said Driskell. Additionally, Florida Students have even threated DeSantis with a lawsuit following the College Board ban.

These changes in the educational curriculums have caused dispute across the state and will continue to disrupt the future of Florida if the opinions of Floridians is not taken into consideration when such refinement towards the education of students is at hand.