Little Rock School District, North Little Rock School District, eStem Public Charter Schools, Jonesboro Public Schools, and Jacksonville North Pulaski School District were all involved in the AP African American Studies pilot program.
All five have said they will continue teaching the AP African American Studies class despite the state saying it has not approved the course.
“Since the Advanced Placement African American Studies pilot program is a direct partnership between your school district and College Board, the Department has not been provided the necessary materials and resources needed to enable the Department to support districts in complying with the law and rules,” Mr. Oliva wrote.
“Given some of the themes included in the pilot, including ‘intersections of identity’ and ’resistance and resilience,' the Department is concerned the pilot may not comply with Arkansas law, which does not permit teaching that would indoctrinate students with ideologies, such as Critical Race Theory,” he continued.
Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed the Arkansas LEARNS Act into law in March.
Under that legislation, “no critical race theory or indoctrination” can be taught in schools throughout the state.
‘Antithetical’ to ‘Traditional American Values’
In January, Ms. Sanders also issued an executive order prohibiting indoctrination and critical race theory (CRT) in schools, stating that CRT is “antithetical to the traditional American values of neutrality, equality, and fairness” and “emphasizes skin color as a person’s primary characteristic, thereby resurrecting segregationist values, which America has fought so hard to reject.”In his letter, Mr. Oliva said in order to “assist public school employees, representatives, and guest speakers at your district in complying with the law,” the five school districts must “submit all materials, including but not limited to the syllabus, textbooks, teacher resources, student resources, rubrics, and training materials” to the education department by noon on Sept. 8.
The department will then determine whether the course materials violate state law.
Mr. Oliva also asked the districts to include their “statement of assurance that the teaching of these materials will not violate Arkansas law or rule” alongside the materials.
The Arkansas Department of Education has not outright banned schools from offering the AP African American Studies pilot course but said in a statement earlier this month that the course is “still undergoing major revisions” and may “unintentionally put a teacher at risk of violating Arkansas law.”
The course was originally designed to cover topics such as the Black Lives Matter movement, slavery reparations, and the works of CRT scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, among others, although those topics have since been pulled under a revised version of the course published in February.
‘Not Indoctrination, Plain and Simple’
“Without clarity, we cannot approve a pilot that may unintentionally put a teacher at risk of violating Arkansas law,” Alexa Henning, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Education, told local media, adding that the pilot “does not comply with the rules of the department’s AP program like other vetted courses.”“The department encourages the teaching of all American history and supports rigorous courses not based on opinions or indoctrination,” Ms. Henning added.
At the time of the announcement, the College Board, the organization that created AP African American Studies, argued the course “is not indoctrination, plain and simple.”
“AP teachers are experienced and highly skilled professionals,” the College Board said in a statement. “We are fully confident in their abilities to teach this course in complete compliance without any indoctrination.”
A spokeswoman for Little Rock School District told The Associated Press that officials were reviewing Mr. Oliva’s letter. The district is offering the course at Little Rock Central High School, which was made famous when nine black students attempted to enter the racially segregated school in 1957.
The Jacksonville North Pulaski School District declined to comment when contacted by the publication, while eStem Public Charter Schools said it was currently seeking guidance regarding Mr. Oliva’s request. The North Little Rock and Jonesboro school districts did not respond to the publication’s request for comment.
A spokesperson for the Jonesboro Public Schools told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement: “We plan on continuing with the course and are currently compiling the requested information for the ADE and plan to release it to them in a timely manner.”
Jacksonville North Pulaski School District declined to comment.
North Little Rock School District has not responded to a request from The Epoch Times for comment.
