RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera is reviewing the College Board's proposed AP African American Studies course after Governor Glenn Youngkin (R - Virginia) received "numerous reports about draft course content," according to Youngkin's spokeswoman Macaulay Porter.
Porter said Guidera will review the course to ensure it complies with the Governor's Executive Order One.
Executive Order One prohibits the teaching of "inherently divisive concepts, including Critical Race Theory" in Virginia.
The decision to review the content comes one month after Governor Ron DeSantis (R - Florida) blocked the use of the course in Florida schools.
His administration found the course to be "historically inaccurate" and in violation of state law.
In Virginia, local school divisions, not the State Board of Education, decide what AP courses to offer students.
Still, the board can decide not to approve a course.
Charles Pyle, a spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Education, said the department would not make a recommendation to the board until the course was finalized with the College Board.
"With the AP African American History course, that won’t be until after the pilot concludes at the end of the 2023-2024 school year," Pyle said.
Pyle said if a course was not approved by the State Board of Education, it could still count as an elective credit toward graduation "provided the course has been approved by the local school board."
The course in question remains in its development phase and will b piloted in select cities throughout the country.
Caroline High School, in Carolina County, Virginia, is one of the schools that will offer the pilot program, the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star reported.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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