State Superintendent of Schools Richard Woods announced Wednesday that he believes a new Advanced Placement course in African American Studies reportedly violates Georgia’s law against teaching divisive racial concepts.
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Until the announcement, Woods did not provide any specific reasons for blocking the course, and some districts said they would continue to offer the course while others canceled their plans. In 2022, Georgia banned teaching divisive racial concepts, which is based on a now-repealed executive order from former President Donald Trump, prohibiting claims that the United States is “fundamentally or systematically racist,” according to the Associated Press. It mandated that no student should feel “discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of his or her race.”
Woods previously stated that districts could teach the AP material and receive state funding by listing it as an introductory African American studies course approved in 2020. During the announcement on Wednesday, he warned that teaching the AP material could expose districts to legal challenges while under Georgia’s law.
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The AP course faced further scrutiny in 2023 when Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis announced he would ban the course in his state. Officials in South Carolina also followed a similar protocol, refusing to approve the course but permitting individual districts to offer it.
Woods is seeking a legal opinion from Attorney General Chris Carr on whether the carve-out protects AP courses. “Should the ruling reverse my decision, I will follow the law,” Woods stated. However, Meghan Frick, a spokesperson for Woods, indicated that this does not guarantee Woods will recommend the course for approval if Carr’s office supports it legally.
According to the law, allegations of violations that aren’t resolved locally can be appealed to the state Board of Education. Officials could order corrective actions, and districts could lose exemptions from state rules if they don’t comply.