Georgia officials reverse course on blocking state funds for AP African American Studies Program

ATLANTA — After multiple protests against a decision by the Georgia State Superintendent of Schools to reject state funding opportunities for an AP African American Studies program, the state has reversed course.

On Wednesday, Dr. Richard Woods had chosen not to approve state funding for the AP course, designed by the College Board and test-piloted in Georgia, but left the door open for school districts to individually fund it on their own.

While some districts, like Atlanta Public Schools, immediately announced they’d fund the program for their students themselves, others, like Gwinnett County, said without the state funding, they were looking for alternatives but could not commit to it.

The same afternoon, a group of state lawmakers went to the Georgia State Capitol to push for the decision to be reversed, while the Georgia Association of Educators also criticized the decision by Woods, particularly in light of state approval for an AP European History class.

In a statement Wednesday, Woods said he had chosen not to approve the course, but after protests and multiple questions from lawmakers and even Gov. Brian Kemp, the Georgia State Board of Education reversed the decision.

The letter from Kemp focused questions about the rejection on whether the state had already funded the pilot program, if the curriculum was reviewed before the pilot program was initiated, how many AP courses had been piloted and recommended by the state and how many had not been over the past decade, and what reasons the State Board of Education had for not approving the program.

At the end of his letter to Woods, Kemp highlighted his commitments to educational opportunities for Georgia’s students, as well as his belief that “families should ultimately make the decisions which best meet their child’s academic needs and futures,” in a phrase reminiscent of his previous commentary on parental rights in education, such as when he signed off on a bill banning so-called divisive concepts in 2022′s Parents’ Bill of Rights legislation.

Woods wrote in the reversal announcement that Georgia had an AP African American Studies course in the state catalog since 2020 and that when reviewing the pilot course for the new curriculum, he “had concerns” about how much of the course the state should support.

Woods’ full statement reads:

“There has been an African American Studies course code in the catalog of state-funded courses since 2020. Districts using this course code will receive state funding. Should districts choose to do so, they may teach some or all of the standards in the AP African American Studies course using this code (and students may take the associated AP exam).

When I reviewed the AP course, I had concerns about the state endorsing the totality of the course. It’s my position that districts should use the existing course code – which offers them the flexibility to develop their own curriculum based on local priorities, or to use standards from the AP course if they choose and in consultation with their communities.”

Going forward, school districts that wish to use the new AP African American Studies course will be able to do so, and receive funding from the state for the program, rather than being required to pay for it out of district funds.