Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday defended his decision to block an Advanced Placement (AP) course centered on black history and activism.
DeSantis made in argument following criticism from the White House.
“The issue is, we have guidelines and standards in Florida. We want education, not indoctrination,” said DeSantis, according to a video from a press conference.
The governor also argued the state already requires a non-Advanced Placement course on black history.
DeSantis focused his argument about the AP curriculum on its inclusion of black queer studies.
“Who would say that an important part of black history is queer theory? That is somebody pushing an agenda on our kids. … When you try to use black history to shoehorn in queer theory, you are clearly trying to use that for political purposes,” the governor says in the video.
The Florida Department of Education rejected the course on Jan. 12.
