Thursday, January 26, 2023

Florida's #1 Weasel: No Doubt About It — It's Their Governor Ron DeSantis (R)

DeSantis at some public event
(Ouch - why are you squeezing me so hard)

Why is Gov. DeSantis so afraid and biased towards African-American history being taught in FL high schools and banning it? Why not ban Italian-American history, too – a lot of crime from early day Italians – oh yeah, he is Italian on his side of the racist fence – oops…

This latest from him is pretty shocking with this headline from a Market Watch article from The AP with this headline:

“Ron DeSantis bars AP course on African American studies from Florida high schools”

TALLAHASSEE, FL (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration has blocked a new Advanced Placement (AP) course on African-American studies from being taught in high schools, saying it violates state law and is historically inaccurate.

The state education department rejected the program in a letter last week to the College Board, which oversees AP classes.

Florida education officials did not specify exactly what content the state found objectionable but said:As presented, the content of this course is inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value. In the future, should College Board be willing to come back to the table with lawful, historically accurate content, [the education department] will always be willing to reopen the discussion.”

In their statement, the College Board said:Like all new AP courses, AP African American Studies is undergoing a rigorous, multi-year pilot phase, collecting feedback from teachers, students, scholars and policymakers. The process of piloting and revising course frameworks is a standard part of any new AP course, and frameworks often change significantly as a result.”

Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) in a letter to the College Board accused DeSantis of grandstanding, and he called on them to resist pressure to change that AP course saying part: “One governor should not have the power to dictate the facts of U.S. history.”

The College Board website describes the course as interdisciplinary, touching on literature, arts, humanities, political science, geography, and science. The pilot program is debuting at 60 schools across the country before it expands to additional schools. The organization has been working on constructing the course for more than a decade, according to its website.

DeSantis has opposed what he calls liberal ideologies in schools, including lessons around critical race theory, which examines systemic racism and has become a frequent target of conservatives.

DeSantis last year also signed a bill “Stop WOKE Act” that restricts certain race-based conversations and analysis in schools and businesses. The law bars instruction that says members of one race are inherently racist or should feel guilt for past actions committed by others of the same race, among other things.

More recently DeSantis’ budget office called on state colleges to submit spending information on programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion and critical race theory, raising concerns of potential funding cuts around such initiatives.

Sharon Courtney, a high school teacher in Peekskill, NY teaching the same African-American studies course, said her students were “shocked” to learn Florida blocked the class. 

She described it as a factual African history course that also details what Africans experienced upon their arrival in North America adding: “There’s nothing objectionable. It’s history that hasn’t been traditionally taught in the United States in a K-12 setting, but it’s also history that once known and understood could change race relations and improve them.”

Related from the same article:

1. Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) says his win shows this is the path to Republican power.

2. Conservatives seek to put Univ. Faculty tenure on chopping block.

My 2 Cents: Once again this crazy move by DeSantis shows without question or doubt the danger of having Republican conservatives in charge of anything to do with government policy, period.

My other two key blog posts relating to DeSantis are here and here – the man is a clear present danger to FL and our entire society – no question about that. We wonder what his next move besides all that follows below will be? His list is long:

1.  Private Employer COVID-19 vaccine mandates are prohibited.

2.  Employers must cover the costs of testing and PPE exemptions

for employees.

3.  Employers who violate these employee health protections will be fined.

4.  Government entities may not require COVID-19 vaccinations of anyone, including employees.

5.  Schools may not require students to be COVID-19 vaccinated.

6.  School districts may not have school face mask policies.

7.  Employees can choose from numerous exemptions, including but not limited to, health or religious concerns; pregnancy or anticipated future pregnancy; and past recovery from COVID-19.

8.  Employees can choose to opt for periodic testing or PPE as an exemption. NOTE: Small businesses (99 employees or less) will face $10,000 per employee violation; medium & big businesses will face $50,000 per employee violation.

9.  School districts may not quarantine healthy students. Parents and students can sue school districts to recover all legal fees.

Thanks for stopping by.


No comments: