GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — The debate over how Georgia handles Advanced Placement African American Studies courses in high schools is heating up, with some lawmakers arguing that the course is not being treated equally.
State Rep. Jasmine Clark from Lilburn criticized the handling of the course by State Superintendent Dr. Richard Woods, stating that despite recent changes allowing the course to be taught this year, the issue remains unresolved due to uncertainties about AP credit recognition.
“He didn’t actually reverse the damage,” Clark said.
On Tuesday, Woods announced that the state would not fund the AP African American Studies course for more than 4,000 students.
However, following a news conference from lawmakers on Wednesday and concerns raised by Gov. Brian Kemp, Woods agreed to funding for the course.
Despite this decision, districts must use the course code for a version that is not Advanced Placement.
“The students are the ones that will be asked to take a college-level course and not given the credit for it,” said Clark, emphasizing the issue of credit recognition.
Gwinnett County Schools canceled the AP class for this school year due to these concerns.
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In a statement, a Department of Education spokesperson wrote, “Use of the existing state course code allows districts to offer parts of or the entire AP African American Studies course, with state funding.”
Daniel Herrera, a DeKalb County student, voiced his frustration over the situation, saying, “The ruling in the past few days has created chaos in my schedule.”
Herrera decided not to take the course this year because of the uncertainty.
“They’ve set the precedent that history is the responsibility of the government to regulate,” Herrera said.
Clark is advocating for the course to be treated like the 38 other AP courses available.
“There’s absolutely no reason not to create an AP-specific code for AP African American Studies,” she said.
Despite these concerns, DeKalb County Schools, Cobb County Schools, and Atlanta Public Schools have pledged to continue offering the course.
Some time after the interview, Herrera reached back out to Channel 2′s Matt Johnson on Saturday and said that the class was added back to his schedule and he plans to take it this coming school year.
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