After weeks of contentious debate, Georgia's Superintendent of Schools, Richard Woods, announced that school districts will have the green light to offer a new Advanced Placement course in African American Studies, as clarified by the state's Attorney General. This decision emerges after a review from Attorney General Chris Carr indicated that such college-level courses are indeed exempt from the state's laws restricting teachings on divisive racial concepts, according to information obtained by WABE.
Initially, Woods had hesitated, shrouded in the legal penumbra of Georgia's divisive concepts law, and even recommended that districts should use local tax money to teach the course. However, Attorney General Carr's input spurred a swift shift in direction, making it unequivocally clear that AP courses are in a safe harbor from such legislation. Now, while Woods has declared an immediate inclusion of the course in the state-funded catalog, he has also noted that a disclaimer will underscore the state's absence of material review.
The AP African American Studies course has been a magnet for national attention, igniting a broader dialogue on educational autonomy and the treatment of racial history in academic curricula. With Carr's letter noting the need for teaching "in a professionally and academically appropriate manner," the course, attributed with 74 required topics including intersectionality, had previously been under fire by proponents of stricter educational laws—despite its thorough academic foundation as asserted by the College Board, which is a nonprofit entity that governs AP courses, as reported by WABE.
Amid these developments, local districts have taken varied stances on adopting the course, with Atlanta, DeKalb County, and Cobb County expressing intent to proceed regardless of state verdicts. Gwinnett County, initially hesitant due to its large student population, has since reversed course, allowing six high schools to reincorporate the course into their curricula. The shifting decisions regarding the AP African American Studies course have drawn criticism from various quarters. In a statement to WABE, Andrea Young, Executive Director of the ACLU of Georgia, noted that the debate over the course highlights the harmful effects of politically motivated interference in education.
Georgia's recent educational skirmish marks another chapter in the enduring quest to reconcile educational policy with historical truthfulness and cultural comprehensiveness. While this incident closes with a resolution allowing the contested AP course to be taught, the wider implications remain a matter of intense discourse, reflecting a nation grappling with the roots and branches of its own historical narrative.
