Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) announced on Wednesday that they will be offering the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course this school year.
This comes after Republican State Superintendent Richard Woods said in a statement on July 31 that he believed that “parts of the coursework did violate the law.”
The law in question was O.C.G.A. § 20-1-11, or the divisive concepts legislation passed in 2022.
Some of the divisive concepts this legislation defined included teaching America being “fundamentally racist.”
Within the law, however, it says it shall not be applied to AP, International Baccalaureate (IB), or Dual Enrollment courses so long as they are implemented in a “professionally and academically appropriate manner and without espousing personal political beliefs.”
After deliberating with the bill’s sponsor and the attorney general’s office, Woods determined on Wednesday that the African American Studies course shall be added to the state-funded course catalog “effective immediately.”
GCPS said in a statement that they will now work with impacted schools to make schedule adjustments for students who signed up for the course in the spring.
“While this is a victory in many ways, the State Superintendent’s actions caused undue burden on our schools and pain to many in our community, including our students,” GCPS Superintendent Dr. Calvin J. Watts said. “However, I am grateful for the collective advocacy of our students, families, staff, and community to do what is right for our students.”
GCPS said they believe the AP course is crucial in promoting “educational excellence, equity, and understanding across diverse student populations” and that they are proud to offer the course to students.
