TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — The state of Florida is on the verge of adding new requirements to ensure students are properly taught about African American history.
The Florida Legislature passed a bill on Thursday that aims to strengthen longstanding and robust requirements concerning the teaching of African American history.
CURRENT REQUIREMENTS
Educators are currently required to instruct students on a wide array of topics, including: “the history of African peoples before the political conflicts that led to the development of slavery, the passage to America, the enslavement experience, abolition and the history and contributions of Americans of the African diaspora to society.”
According to existing statutes, the goal of this instruction is to provide students with an “understanding of the ramifications of prejudice, racism, and stereotyping on individual freedoms, and examine what it means to be a responsible and respectful person.”
PROPOSED REQUIREMENTS
The new proposal would require school districts to submit and publicize their instructional plan related to the historical topics.
The plan must document the following three components: teaching methodology for each grade level, teacher qualifications and a description of the instructional materials.
Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to sign the bill into law.
