Georgia denies state funding to teach AP Black studies classes

Georgia is refusing to provide state funding for the new Advanced Placement course in African American Studies, so some school districts have cancelled plans to teach the course to high schoolers.

Advocates complain that the decision by Georgia's elected school superintendent will suppress teaching about Black history, just like officials did in Florida, Arkansas and some other places.

“The fact that AP African American studies was removed from our schools is alarming and an injustice to our students who eagerly anticipated taking this course,” state Rep. Jasmine Clark, a Democrat from Lilburn, said in a statement. "Erasure of black history from our schools is not and never will be okay!"

The State Board of Education, appointed by the governor, must approve a class for it to be eligible for state funding, which helps pay for a teacher’s salary and class materials. Superintendent Richard Woods decided he won't recommend approval of the class to the board, but didn't say why.

“Superintendent Woods has opted not to recommend this course for state approval at this time,” Meghan Frick, a spokesperson for the state Department of Education, wrote in an emailed statement.

Local districts can still pay for the AP course out of their own funds, Frick said. The state isn’t denying credit toward high school graduation if they do. Frick also noted that Georgia funds a state-designed African American Studies course approved in 2020. That course doesn't qualify for AP credit.

The AP course drew national scrutiny in 2023 when Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, preparing for his presidential run, said he would ban the course in his state because it pushed a political agenda.

In Arkansas, state officials have said the course will