Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis reportedly took high-level Advanced Placement classes in high school that he’s now threatening to deny to Florida students.
DeSantis was even named the “AP U.S. History student of the year” as a senior at his high school in Dunedin, Florida, reported the Daily Beast, which obtained pages from his yearbook.
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Demanding AP courses are critically important for students seeking admission to the best universities, where competition for a spot is fierce. High AP test scores can also earn college credit.
As recently as 2020, DeSantis praised AP classes, saying they were a “gateway to achieving success in college, career and ultimately in life.”
DeSantis’ AP classes were likely critical to his acceptance at Yale University. Yet he is now threatening to ban the same classes for public school students in his state.
The Republican governor’s continuing war on education in Florida is infuriating parents. They’re concerned about deteriorating education in the state linked to DeSantis’ political battle against what he imagines is progressive “woke” instruction. The governor instead aims to cultivate his right-wing perspectives in classrooms that includes a war on courses about Black history.
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Parents and students fear the consequences of the governor’s agenda will diminish the chances of Florida students getting into the nation’s top colleges. As a result, some parents are even considering moving out of the state to protect their children’s education, The Washington Post reported earlier this week.
President Joe Biden slashed DeSantis’ efforts to dumb down education in Florida in a tweet Friday.
DeSantis threatened to block all AP classes in the state earlier this week. He made the threat in a snit after being blasted by the College Board, the nonprofit organization in charge of Advanced Placement courses, for his “slander” denigrating — and blocking — a new AP African American course in Florida public schools.
