WASHINGTON — Civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump is predicted to announce Wednesday that he intends to sue Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over his administration’s resolution to dam a brand new Superior Placement course on African American research from being taught in excessive faculties.
Crump will probably be joined by three AP honors highschool college students who would be the lead plaintiffs within the lawsuit, his workplace stated.
In the course of the announcement, scheduled in Tallahassee for 12:15 p.m. ET., Crump is predicted to be joined by a number of Florida state legislators, together with Home Minority Chief Fentrice Driskell in addition to Fedrick Ingram, secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Lecturers.
DeSantis’ administration rejected the AP’s African American research program in a letter this month to the School Board, which oversees AP courses.
Florida training officers didn’t specify precisely what content material the state discovered objectionable, however stated, “As offered, the content material of this course is inexplicably opposite to Florida legislation and considerably lacks instructional worth.”
The state pointed to six areas of concern and works by Kimberlé W. Crenshaw; Gloria Jean Watkins, identified by her pseudonym bell hooks; Angela Davis; and different Black authors. And at a information convention Monday, DeSantis and Training Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. argued that the course is a Malicious program for “indoctrinating” college students with a left-wing ideology beneath the guise of educating concerning the Black expertise and African American historical past (which is remitted within the state).
On Tuesday, The School Board stated it will launch a brand new framework for the AP course, which it stated has been beneath growth since March.
The Florida Training Division stated it welcomed the revisions, despite the fact that they haven’t but been launched.
“We’re glad the School Board has acknowledged that the initially submitted course curriculum is problematic, and we’re inspired to see the School Board specific a willingness to amend,” Alex Lanfranconi, a spokesperson for the company, stated in an announcement. “AP programs are standardized nationwide, and on account of Florida’s robust stance in opposition to id politics and indoctrination, college students throughout the nation will consequentially have entry to an traditionally correct, unbiased course.”
Lanfranconi stated he anticipated the removing of content material about subjects “that violate our legal guidelines,” together with essential race concept, Black queer research and intersectionality.