New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has announced plans to expand an AP African American History course to dozens more schools—in a rebuke of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ dismissal of the course. The newly developed course will expand from one school to 26 state-wide for the 2023-2024 school year. “While the DeSantis Administration stated that AP African American Studies ‘significantly lacks educational value’, New Jersey will stand on the side of teaching our full history,” Murphy said in a statement. The course launched in just 60 schools nationwide this year as part of a two-year pilot phase—a highly contentious chapter thanks to Florida’s war on the course over its so-called “woke indoctrination”—and will expand in schools across the country in the coming years. During a visit to a Newark high school Tuesday, Murphy said DeSantis is “prioritizing culture wars” over education. Earlier this week, the College Board slammed Florida for its disingenuous portrayal of the class and the state’s efforts to weaponize politics against the education nonprofit.
