Douglas County school board weighs addition of AP African American studies course

The Douglas County school board is expected to decide Tuesday whether to allow a new Advanced Placement course on African American studies that has drawn pushback from conservatives across the U.S., most notably in Florida, where teachings on race have been significantly restricted.

Board of Education President Christy Williams said during a Nov. 19 meeting that she wanted to delay the board’s decision because she didn’t have enough time to review the course, which, if approved, could be offered by Douglas County’s public high schools as early as next academic year.

Williams, who couldn’t be reached for comment Monday, said during the meeting that she had received emails and phone calls from constituents concerned about the potential new class offering — including that it would teach students critical race theory, the decades-old academic concept that racism is inherent in American institutions, including the legal and education systems.

“I want to make sure it aligns with our equity policy,” Williams said of the new AP class at the meeting last month.

All courses taught in the Douglas County School District must be approved by the school board, said district spokeswoman Paula Hans.

Valarie Moses, an English teacher at Highlands Ranch High School, said she submitted the proposal to teach the African American studies course after hearing students express interest in the class.

Moses said in an interview that she told the students she would do everything she could to bring African American studies to the school. 

“Generally, AP classes pass without too much discussion,” Moses said of the decision last month to delay the vote.

As an AP class, the African American studies course would be offered to students in 10th to 12th grade who want to earn college credit while still in high school. The class is an elective, meaning it’s not required.

The African American studies course, which covers centuries of Black history, first made its way into high schools during the 2022-23 academic year as part of a pilot program at 60 schools nationwide, including the Cherry Creek School District’s Overland High School in Aurora.

The course covers topics ranging from early African kingdoms to the Civil Rights movements of the 1960s. It blends together literacy, history, art and other subjects, and exposes students to primary sources, such as the writings of Frederick Douglass and Maya Angelou, according to the College Board, which oversees AP classes.

Students who participated in the pilot program at Overland told The Denver Post in 2022 that what they appreciated about the class was the ability to dive deeper into topics, such as the slave trade, than they could in other courses by studying writings, photos and other documents from certain period of history.

The pilot program expanded to almost 700 schools nationwide last year, including seven in Colorado, according to Sara Sympson, director of communications for the College Board.

Denver Public Schools is offering AP African American Studies at Northfield High School and Bruce Randolph High School, said spokesman Scott Pribble.

Starting this fall, the class is available to any American school that wants to offer it. But some states, including Arkansas and South Carolina, have restricted the teaching of race and racism in classrooms in recent years. Florida prohibited the new AP class statewide, saying it “significantly lacks educational value.”

The College Board drew scrutiny for making alterations to the course plan last year amid complaints from Florida officials, although the College Board denied that it altered the class in response to the criticism.

Still, revisions to the course curriculum left out critical race theory, structural racism and only touched on LGBTQ issues, the New York Times reported.

The culture wars that have raged across the U.S. have flared in Colorado, including in the Douglas County School District, where conservative members gained a majority during the 2021 election.

In 2022, references to people of color and those in the LGBTQ community were briefly removed from proposed revisions to the state’s social studies standards. However, the Colorado State Board of Education ultimately voted to add them back into the guidelines, which are used by educators other than draft curriculum.

The Douglas County School District drew national attention for its fiery school board meetings during the pandemic. Conservative board members, who have held a majority ever since, acted swiftly once in office to repeal the district’s mask mandate. The board also changed the district’s equity policy, with members taking issue with the word “equity.”

Last year, four students of color sued both the district and the board, accusing the leaders of violating their right to an equal education by showing “callous indifference” toward racist bullying that the children experienced Castle Rock Middle School and Douglas County High School. 

The Douglas County School District is Colorado’s third largest district, enrolling 61,964 students during the 2023-24 academic year. The district enrolled 981 Black students — about 1.6 % of its total enrollment — last year, according to the latest data from the Colorado Department of Education.

Moses, the teacher who requested the addition of the AP African American studies class, said she was “so really hopeful that discussions are happening and that eventually people will understand the intent of this course.”

“It’s frustrating because I know this course is being taught in other districts,” she said.

Students of color are underrepresented in AP classes and yet such rigorous courses are one of the best ways to prepare high schoolers for college, Moses said, adding that when students take one AP class, they’re more likely to take others.

“All of this is good preparation for students of color,” Moses said. “If we have that commitment to equity, then I think that it’s important that we create a class.”

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