Arkansas Says AP African American Studies Course May Violate State Law

Arkansas said the Advanced Placement African American Studies course may be unlawful, leaving schools and students in limbo. 

The Arkansas Department of Education said the course may not meet graduation requirements or qualify for college credits. State law also contains provisions prohibiting certain topics, the department said. It said it doesn’t want teachers to inadvertently violate the law, and can’t approve it as an AP class. It didn’t specify what in the course could violate state law.

Because AP African American Studies is still a pilot and not a finalized course, the state cannot give AP credit for it, said Alexa Henning, a spokesperson for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, on social media on Monday.

Arkansas is one of more than a dozen Republican-led states that have passed laws limiting discussion of race in public schools. State laws are increasingly restricting what can be taught in schools regarding race as well as gender. Florida banned the pilot AP African American Studies course in January, saying it contradicted state law and lacked educational value. 

In a statement, the Arkansas education department said it “encourages the teaching of all American history and supports rigorous courses not based on opinions or indoctrination.”

The College Board, the organization that created AP African American Studies, said it was surprised and confused by the state’s new guidance that the course wouldn’t count toward graduation credits. 

The College Board said states decide which AP classes schools can offer, while colleges set their own policies on how to award college credit for AP courses.

The group said it “rejects the notion that the AP African American Studies course is indoctrination in any form.”

The department didn’t respond to questions regarding why the course may not meet graduation requirements or qualify for college credit. 

The organization said over 300 scholars have contributed to the curriculum, which draws on history, English and music, as it was developed over more than a decade. It was first offered in the 2022-23 school year and is expected to be finalized later this year. 

The College Board in February released a revised version of the curriculum, which made optional some topics such as Black Lives Matter and reparations for slavery. The organization said at the time that it didn’t bow to political pressure, saying the revisions were completed in December.  

In April, the College Board said it would change the course again and was committed “to providing an unflinching encounter with the facts and evidence of African American history and culture.” It said that its effort to provide the course for as many students as possible had come into conflict with its effort to give access to a field not widely available to high school students. 

About 740 schools will offer the course during the 2023-24 school year in 40 states and Washington, D.C., the College Board said.

Six high schools in Arkansas planned on offering AP African American Studies this fall, the College Board said. That includes Little Rock Central High School, where nine Black students, known as the Little Rock Nine, integrated the school in 1957. Two Arkansas schools offered the pilot course last year.

The Arkansas Department of Education notified the Little Rock School District over the weekend about the change, just before the school year’s start on Monday, the district said. The Little Rock School District said 98 students had enrolled in the course.

More than 200 colleges and universities have signed up to provide college credit for the AP course, including the University of Arkansas, the College Board said.

The University of Arkansas said Tuesday that students who pass the AP African American Studies exam with a score of three or higher receive college credit, as is the case for other AP courses.

“We’re still working to understand the details and potentials of the decision,” the school said.

The Little Rock School District said it is working with the state education department to figure out how to continue the course. 

“We are actively working to ensure that our students continue to receive a well-rounded education that includes diverse perspectives and meaningful learning opportunities,” the district said. 

The state’s education department said Arkansas high school students can take an African-American history class that is not an AP course for school credit.

Write to Joseph De Avila at [email protected]