The Nation Gasps as Civil Rights Lawyers Prepare to Sue DeSantis

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Well-known civil rights lawyer Ben Crump plans to sue Florida Governor DeSantis over the state's denial of an African American studies course.

“The question really is this, brothers and sisters. Are we going to let Gov. DeSantis, or anybody, exterminate Black history from the classrooms in Florida?” Crump said.

DeSantis has been adamant about imposing strict control over school curriculums in Florida. Many see his move as opportunistic.

The advanced placement courses

The debate started with the letter sent by the state Department of Education’s Office of Articulation to The College Board, advising that unless changes were made, the Advanced Placement African American studies would no longer be offered in Florida public schools.

Advanced Placement courses are college-level subjects but are offered to high school students.

During his speech on Wednesday, Tampa Democrat and House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell criticized the governor for potentially influencing the direction of the course.

“We’ve been told that this AP African American history course will be altered and resubmitted, and most likely, they’ll make enough changes for the governor to approve it, but at what cost? Are we really OK with Ron DeSantis deciding what is acceptable?” Driskell said.

DeSantis' press secretary Bryan Griffin interpreted the College Board's announcement as indicating impending course modifications.

“Excellent news. Thanks to (DeSantis’) principled stand for education over identity politics, the College Board will be revising the course for the entire nation. The Florida Department of Education … will review the changes for compliance once resubmitted,” Griffin said in a tweet.

Florida’s banning of the course gained national attention. On Feb.16, black religious leaders are staging a rally in Tallahassee to express their stand on the issue.

What do you think about DeSantis's latest intervention in Florida's school system?

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