Arkansas’ education department accused of being racist after denying credit for AP African American Studies

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) announced Friday that students enrolled in Advanced Placement African American Studies will only be able to receive credit for the pilot course through elective credit.

The College Board launched the AP African American Studies pilot course to 60 schools across the country last year including Little Rock Central High School and Academies at Jonesboro High School.

This year the College Board reported six schools in Arkansas chose to participate in the pilot. They include: The Academies at Jonesboro High School, Central High School, eStem High School, Jacksonville High School, North Little Rock Center of Excellence, and North Little Rock High School.

According to the College Board timeline, students who participated in the pilot would be able to take the AP exam to get college credit.

More than 200 colleges and universities nationally have already signed on to provide college credit, including the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, the flagship institution of the University of Arkansas System,” said Holly Stepp, executive director of communications for the College Board. “Early credit support for the pilot course has surpassed expectations, and it is our strong expectation that many more colleges will provide credit when an official review is completed in the spring.”

The president of the largest youth political organization in the state is calling the refusal to recognize AP African American Studies as an approved AP course “racist.”

Black history is Arkansas history,” Young Democrats of Arkansas President Allison Grigsby Sweatman said in a statement Monday. “Removing AP African American Studies from the list of approved AP courses is a blatantly racist move by Sarah Sanders’ new Department of Education. As usual, our state deserves better, and we will continue to fight until all Arkansas students receive the education they deserve.”

On Monday, the ADE clarified that the AP African American Studies started as a pilot course – not a history course – and is still undergoing revisions.

The course, as it stands, could potentially put a teacher at risk of violating the Arkansas LEARNS Act and an executive order by Sanders prohibiting “indoctrination and critical race theory” in schools.

The department encourages the teaching of all American history and supports rigorous courses not based on opinions or indoctrination,” an ADE spokesperson said in a statement.

The ADE said schools in Arkansas do offer African American History and students are able to receive graduating credit for that course.

In a statement, Little Rock School District said superintendent Dr. Jermall Wright has been in direct communication with officials from the ADE to explore options that will allow their students to fully benefit from the course, despite the ADE’s decision.

Our top priority is always the well-being and academic success of our students,” LRSD said. “At this time, we are weighing the options provided to us with the staff at Central High School and will decide the next steps within 24-48 hours. Rest assured, we are actively working to ensure that our students continue to receive a well-rounded education that includes diverse perspectives and meaningful learning opportunities.

April Reisma, President of the Arkansas Education Association and special education teacher at Robinson Middle School, said the announcement of the decision was made last minute on the Friday before the first week of school.

I am truly concerned that the state of Arkansas is following the leads of other states that have already gone down this road,” Reisma said. “These courses have been eliminated in other states and the fact that it’s playing out in our own state is deeply concerning.”

Reisma said she doesn’t understand why the ADE had not approved the course for graduating credit since over 200 schools, including the University of Arkansas, have already approved it for college credit.

“Earlier this year in January, the department reached out to the teacher of that course [at Little Rock Central High School] and it was determined that at the time, there were no parts of the course what-so-ever that violated any of the pending governor’s executive order against critical race theory and indoctrination,” Reisma said. “There was a state board of education meeting on Thursday and I was there the entire time and it was not brought up.”

Jacksonville High AP teacher Julia Gardner said she was deeply disappointed and concerned about the deletion of the AP African American course in Arkansas.

This decision hampers the true goals of schools, which should be to provide a comprehensive and inclusive education for all students,” Gardner said. “By denying them the opportunity to learn about the history and experiences of African Americans through the critical lens that College Board offers, this action perpetuates harmful stereotypes and perpetuates systemic racism within our education system. It is crucial that we fight against such blatant attempts to stifle knowledge and ensure that our students have access to a well-rounded education that accurately reflects our diverse community.”