Sarah Huckasanders is competing for the vaunted title of most racist governor. Florida, Alabama and Mississippi Govs have early leads but she’s making a real run for it:
The Arkansas Department of Education (DOE) abruptly rejected AP African American Studies, saying the course may violate Arkansas law. “The department encourages the teaching of all American history and supports rigorous courses not based on opinions or indoctrination,” Kimberly Mundell, Director of Communications for the Arkansas DOE, told Popular Information on Monday. Mundell said the course may violate a new Arkansas law regarding “prohibited topics” in public schools.
In March, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed the LEARNS Act, which prohibits “teaching that would indoctrinate students with ideologies, such as Critical Race Theory [CRT]” or “that conflict with the principle of equal protection under the law.” The law, however, explicitly allows teaching the history of racism and “public policy issues of the day and related ideas that individuals may find unwelcome, disagreeable, or offensive.” The Arkansas DOE did not explain what in the AP African American Studies course constitutes prohibited indoctrination.
The College Board, which has spent a decade developing the AP African American Studies curriculum, describes it as “an evidence-based introduction to African American studies” that “reaches into a variety of fields—literature, the arts and humanities, political science, geography, and science—to explore the vital contributions and experiences of African Americans.”
The first signs of trouble for AP African American Studies in Arkansas were reported over the weekend by the Arkansas Times. According to the Arkansas Times, “[a]n official from the Arkansas [DOE] reportedly alerted high school teachers by phone on Friday that the class would not be recognized for course credit by the state in the 2023-24 school year.” The decision by the Arkansas DOE to directly contact teachers — bypassing school district officials, principals, and other administrators — is highly unusual. The teachers reportedly were told they could continue to offer AP African American Studies, but it would not count toward graduation requirements, would not be graded on a 5.0 scale like other AP courses, and the state would not pay the $90 fee for students to take the AP test.
But Mundell’s statements to Popular Information on Monday raise questions about whether any Arkansas school can still offer AP African American Studies. Mundell warned that anyone who teaches the course would be “at risk of violating Arkansas law.”
Some high schools in Arkansas, including Central High in Little Rock, offered AP African American Studies as part of a pilot program last year before the LEARNS Act was in effect. More high schools, including North Little Rock High School, the North Little Rock Center for Excellence charter high school, and Jacksonville High School, were planning to offer the course this year.
Mundell also told Popular Information that the Arkansas DOE was concerned that the AP African American Studies course would not be recognized for college credit. But, according to the College Board, more than 200 colleges and universities have already decided to award credit for AP African American Studies. The Arkansas Times reports that this includes the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, the state’s flagship public university.
Mundell noted that other AP courses, including AP European History, were approved and vetted for Arkansas schools.
This is the new generation of Republicans. They’re making America 1950 again.