Florida’s board of education has recently approved several controversial changes to its K-12 curriculum.
Many of these changes have severely impacted history classes. Governor Ron Desantis declined the approval of a new AP course, AP African American Studies, as well as prohibited any teachings that shows oppression or privilege towards anyone in the past.
In the Florida Department of Education website, it states “Accordingly, instruction and supporting materials on the topics enumerated in this section must be consistent with the following principles of individual freedom: No person is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously, solely by virtue of his or her race or sex.”
New guidelines require that middle schoolers learn “…how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” These guidelines also require multiple lessons to be altered in the curriculum, including the teaching of the Ocoee Race Massacre. A white mob attacked and killed multiple Black Ocoee residents after they tried to vote. But according to the modified lesson, both parties were responsible.
Many people have been outraged by the changes. On August 16, 2023, there was a march in downtown Miami, where they carried signs and chanted ” Teach the Truth!” The group marched all the way down to the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Headquarters. Parents are also beginning to question whether they should start teaching their kids themselves. Even teachers have been opposed to the curriculum changes, including Mayade Ersoff, a middle school teacher in Miami-Dade, who told CNN “There are no benefits (to slavery). There are no benefits to being grabbed from your home, shackled, on boats, being lynched, being beaten. Not allowed to read and write. And treated like a piece of property.”
In response to people’s criticism behind the Black History changes, DeSantis’s team noted how in AP African American Studies it’s stated that “multiple enslaved people learned specialized trades and worked as painters, carpenters, tailors, musicians, and healers in the North and South. Once free, (African) Americans used these skills to provide for themselves and others” (CNN). To further validate the decision, the team ensured that the changes had nothing to do with politics.
In late July, the Florida Board of Education approved the use of videos by PragerU Kids in classrooms. Named after republican radio host, Dennis Prager, the videos give publicly deemed controversial views on topics such as colonization, feminism, and slavery. The videos question the importance of the morality behind colonization, stating that “no piece of land belongs to a single group of people indefinitely.” Feminism is taught as a “mean spirited, small minded, and oppressive philosophy.” One video even depicts the infamous abolitionist, Fredrick Douglas, saying that while slavery was wrong and evil, it was a “compromise” the Founding Fathers had to make to “achieve something great.”
In addition to any mentions of racial discrimination, any discussion of sexual orientation or preferences have also been rejected thanks to the Parental Rights in Education Act, commonly known as “Don’t Say Gay.” This led to AP Psychology being banned in the state due to its content explaining the development of sexualities. Only after much criticism and negotiation did the board decided to republish the course again. Another major change caused by these laws is that currently, teachers are legally only allowed to call students by their name shown on the roster. If the student wants to be called by a different name or even a shorthand version of their legal name, a parent has to sign-off on a consent form.
While the curriculum changes have brought many mixed emotions from the public, Florida’s Board of Education will proceed with this updated plan this upcoming school year. While the curriculum continues to adapt through the Florida’s Board of Education’s preferences, many Floridan residents call for change, and through motivated efforts, there might just be a possibility for their desired changes.
