Florida’s Department of Education (FDOE) recently blocked a new Advanced Placement course on African American studies in a letter sent to the College Board, a nonprofit organization that oversees AP courses and exams. 

AP courses are offered to students in high school, giving them the opportunity to obtain college credits through challenging classes. 

On Jan. 12, Florida stated in a letter to the College Board that the AP African Studies course is “inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.” The letter also claims that the FDOE will be open to discussion once College Board offers “historically accurate content.”

The letter did not specify what information in the course violated Florida law or was deemed historically inaccurate. However, Ron DeSantis has also made efforts to limit the teaching of critical race theory in Florida. In 2022, Florida passed the “Stop WOKE Act”— officially called the Individual Freedoms Act — which aims to regulate lessons surrounding sexual orientation, gender identity, race theory and teachings that could potentially cause students discomfort due to the actions of their ancestors, changing the way that history is taught in Florida. 

A federal judge blocked a part of the Individual Freedoms Act that would have restricted workplace training on diversity and racial issues and restricted what university professors have the ability to say in their classrooms. However, the law still applies to Florida public schools.