(Media release from the Georgia Department of Education):
Statement from Georgia’s School Superintendent Richard Woods –
“To all, I wish to begin by apologizing for how I failed to effectively communicate my rationale for not recommending this specific course for approval to the State Board of Education. As an elected official, I owe all citizens of Georgia an explanation for any decision I make. To all our school districts, I apologize for any confusion that this may have caused as well.
At the completion of the mentioned course pilot year and the finalization of the course standards and framework, I was approached to either move the course forward for adoption or to not recommend. As this course had received much controversy over the pilot year concerning some content, I proceeded to read the complete course standards and framework. This was done to see if the course material violated Georgia law 20-1-11. This section of Georgia law deals with the topic of ‘Divisive Concepts’ as was initiated in the originating legislation of House Bill 1084.
After reviewing the content, it was clear that parts of the coursework did violate the law. As with most states with laws like Georgia on this issue that have raised concerns, the most glaring violation is on the topic of intersectionality. There are additional areas of concern, but this topic raises the highest level of concern. If the Advanced Placement course had presented a comparative narrative with opposing views on this and other topics, an argument could be made that the course did not violate Georgia law.
For me, this has always been about following the law. If I moved this forward for approval, I would break my oath of office and ask the State Board of Education and our local school districts to ignore the law.
Can students currently take a course on African American Studies? Yes. I passed an African American Studies course in 2020. Though not specific in content, districts have had the ability to offer this course to all students, not just those taking an AP class.
Can a district use the AP African American Studies standards and framework as its accepted content for the state course? Yes. Under Georgia policy, a district may do this without the State School Superintendent’s or the State Board of Education’s approval. Students may take the associated AP test to possibly receive college credit. However, the content may be challenged at the local level for violating 20-1-11 if all of the AP course content is adopted.
Currently, I have asked for legal clarification as it pertains to 20-1-11. There may be an exemption as it pertains to course adoption for not only AP courses but also International Baccalaureate (IB) and dual enrollment college courses. Should the ruling reverse my decision, then I will follow the law.
Once again, I offer my deepest apologies for my communication error and pledge to take the necessary steps to ensure that it will not happen again.”
