State School Superintendent Richard Woods has apologized for failing to effectively communicate why he is not recommending adding an Advanced Placement African American studies course to the state’s curriculum offerings.
But in a statement released Wednesday, Woods said he has not changed his mind about not moving forward during the new school year with an AP course that was piloted in several school districts in 2023-24.
Woods said he came to his decision after reading the course standards and framework and concluding that they violated the controversial “divisive concepts’ law the Republican-controlled General Assembly passed two years ago. The bill, which passed along party lines, prohibits teaching U.S. history in a way that might make any student feel guilty or that they are superior or inferior to anyone else based on their race.
Wood wrote that the course’s most glaring violation is on the topic of “intersectionality,” which focuses on how interlocking systems of oppression play out in individual lives.
“If the Advanced Placement course had presented a comparative narrative with opposing views on this and other topics, an argument could be made that the course did not violate Georgia law,” he wrote. “If I moved this forward for approval, I would break my oath of office and ask the state Board of Education and our local school districts to ignore the law.”
Following word of Woods’ decision on the AP course last week, legislative Democrats and educators protested for the same reasons they opposed the divisive concepts bill in 2022. They argued that scrapping the course would amount to failing to teach Georgia students the full history of the state and the nation, both the good and the bad.
On Wednesday, Woods responded that students wishing to take African American studies still have options.
“Can students currently take a course on African American studies? Yes,” he wrote. “I passed an African American studies course in 2020. Though not specific in content, districts have had the ability to offer this course to all students, not just those taking an AP class.
“Can a district use the AP African American studies standards and framework as its accepted content for the state course? Yes. Under Georgia policy, a district may do this without the state school superintendent’s or the state Board of Education’s approval.
“Students may take the associated AP test to possibly receive college credit. However, the content may be challenged at the local level for violating (the divisive concept law) if all of the AP course content is adopted.”
Woods said he has asked for a legal clarification of the law.
“Should the ruling reverse my decision, then I will follow the law,” he wrote.
