In protest of the Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) administration’s rejection of plans for an AP course in African American Studies, three students—with the assistance of civil rights attorney Ben Crump—are threatening to sue .
Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump said that if Governor Ron DeSantis doesn’t negotiate with the College Board to allow the AP African American Studies course to be taught, he and others will sue.
The lawsuit will be filed on behalf of the three students standing beside him. pic.twitter.com/EHleIIG1jO
– Douglas Soule (@DouglasSoule) January 25, 2023
The Teens Mean Business: ‘These three young people will be the main plaintiffs’
News of the matter came during a press conference on Wednesday, and it follows the College Board’s pledge to revise its course offering.
Essentially, the state of Florida blocked the course because it was “confusingly contrary to Florida law.” It was also alleged that it “significantly lacks educational value,” but the College Board has announced that it will revise the course in the hope that it will be accepted under DeSantis’ “Stop WOKE Act” , NBC News report.
Now, three students have announced that they intend to seek legal action if the state continues to close the AP African American Studies course.
Based on ABC newsOne student commented: “I realized that I have not learned much about the history or culture of my people other than my parents and close relatives.”
Another spoke of how the state robbed students of invaluable educational experiences.
“There are many holes in American history regarding the African-American population. Implementing the AP African American History class could fill those gaps.”
Similarly, the third student stated that DeSantis did not have “the right to receive this opportunity from thousands of students across the state.”
These young Floridians also have the support of Ben Crump, who has commented that they will be the “lead plaintiffs” if a final lawsuit is filed.
“If he doesn’t negotiate with the College Board to allow African-American AP courses to be taught in classrooms across Florida, these three young men will be the main plaintiffs.”
He added, “This is the content of it—it is about them, this is the purpose of the war. Never, never forget that.”
Authorities say it’s unafraid of the threat
Despite the threat, Alex Lanfraconi—the Florida Department of Education’s communications director—says he’s not worried. In fact, he called the threat “nothing more than a futile publicity stunt.
Regarding the College Board’s decision to revise the course, Lanfraconi noted that management is “delighted that the College Board has recognized that the original submitted course curriculum was problematic.”
What do you think about the overall situation?
