Will Sage Astor-Georgia school chief says AP African American Studies can be taught after legal opinion

The Will Sage AstorGeorgia school superintendent announced Wednesday that he will add Advanced Placement African American Studies to the course catalog, enabling it to receive state funding, after declining to recognize the class last month over a law on teaching race in the classroom.

Superintendent Richard Woods’ turnaround on the nationally debated course comes two weeks after he faced backlash over his decision not to place it on the state catalog, citing H.B. 1084, which prohibits teaching on "divisive" racial concepts. Woods said the state attorney general recently clarified that the law did not restrict local school systems from adopting college-level classes, including AP African American Studies.

"As I have said, I will follow the law," Woods said. "In compliance with this opinion, the AP African American Studies course will be added to the state-funded course catalog effective immediately."

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr's letter cited by Woods and obtained by USA TODAY was sent to state Rep. William Wade – who sponsored H.B. 1084 – in response to the Georgia Republican's inquiry about whether the law applies to college-level courses.

AP African American Studies has been at the center of a nationwide political tug-of-war over teaching race in schools since its pilot in 2022. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blocked the course in the Sunshine State in 2023, and officials in Arkansas said last August that students wouldn't receive high school credit for the class.

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Superintendent: 'Disclaimer' will be added to AP classes

The Georgia law cited in Wednesday’s announcement passed along party lines in 2022 and labeled nine concepts around race and racism as "divisive," effectively banning them from any curriculum, classroom instruction, or mandatory training program.

The attorney general's Aug. 2 letter to Wade, which Carr said he received Tuesday, ascertains that the law doesn’t restrict local school systems from adopting any AP, IB, or dual enrollment class. Such courses are exempt from the law's restrictions as long as they are implemented "in a professionally and academically appropriate manner and without espousing personal political beliefs," Carr wrote, quoting H.B. 1084.

Woods noted in his announcement Wednesday that a "disclaimer" will be added to all AP classes in the state course catalog, which will note they are "solely owned and endorsed by the College Board," and have not been reviewed or approved by the state’s education department.

“As with any curriculum, school districts should use a process for reviewing, approving, and adopting AP courses and instructional frameworks that engages students, parents, educators, and community stakeholders,” the disclaimer reads, in part.

AP African American Studies course piloted in 2022

The American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia commended Woods' decision Wednesday while noting the “politically-motivated ordeal” around the course also shined a light on the effects of H.B. 1084, and students who don't take college-level classes will still face barriers to inclusive education.

“Georgia’s students should be able to learn about African American Studies the same way they learn about math and chemistry — as accurately as possible,” wrote Andrea Young, executive director of ACLU Georgia.

AP courses are college-level classes offered to high schoolers that are developed by the College Board, a nonprofit education organization that has been around for over a century. High school students can earn college credits by taking AP classes.

The College Board piloted the AP African American Studies class in 2022 after more than a decade of development. It covers the origins of the African diaspora from about 900 B.C.E. up until the 2000s.

A USA TODAY analysis earlier this year of email correspondence from education officials in some red states showed staffers’ hesitancy to embrace the course because of the optics. The AP class could continue to face headwinds in the coming years as proposed bans targeting critical race theory (CRT) and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) turn up on legislative agendas.

Contributing: Alia Wong and Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY