New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) announced on Tuesday that he will expand an AP African American History course after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) blocked the course from being taught in Florida public schools, according to the Associated Press.
The course, which was being taught in one school in New Jersey, will expand to 26 state-wide for the 2023-2024 school year.
During a visit to a Newark high school Tuesday, Murphy said DeSantis is “prioritizing culture wars” over education.
“New Jersey will proudly teach our kids that Black History is American History,” Murphy said in a statement. “While the DeSantis Administration stated that AP African American Studies ‘significantly lacks educational value’, New Jersey will stand on the side of teaching our full history.”
The course was launched in 60 schools nationwide this year as part of a two-year pilot phase and is set to expand to hundreds more next year, according the AP.
Earlier this year, DeSantis banned the course in Florida schools because it “lacks educational value” and violates the Stop WOKE Act he signed into law last year. The law prohibits instruction that defines people as necessarily oppressed or privileged based on their race.
[Image: David Dee Delgado/Bloomberg]
