The Florida Department of Education (DOE) on Wednesday updated its standards for teaching African-American studies, however, it was met with backlash from the state's teachers union.
The Florida State Board of Education held a public comment forum for over an hour to discuss the K-12 social studies standards for African American history.
The Tallahassee Democrat reported that although "a majority of speakers opposed" the new standards, the board ultimately voted unanimously to approve the standards.
"Opponents say the curriculum leaves out Florida’s role in slavery and the oppression of African Americans, victim blames Black communities and uses outdated language," the Tallahassee Democrat reported.
MaryLynn Magar, who was appointed to the State Board of Education by Governor Ron DeSantis in March, told The Tallahassee Democrat that the darkest parts of American history are addressed in the newly updated standards.
"Everything is there," Magar said. "The darkest parts of our history are addressed, and I’m very proud of the task force. I can confidently say that the DOE and the task force believe that African American history is American history, and that’s represented in those standards."
After the standards were made public, the state's largest teachers union, the Florida Education Association (FEA), sent a press release that took aim at DeSantis.
They claimed the new standards "are a disservice to Florida’s students and are a big step backward for a state that has required teaching African American history since 1994."
The FEA outlined "specific concerns" with the African American history standards.
One of the concerns they claimed is that high schoolers will learn that the 1920 Ocoee Massacre where at least 30 African Americans were killed for attempting to vote is being "conflated" with "‘acts of violence perpetrated by African Americans.’"
They also share a concern that the "new standards require middle school students to be taught that the experience of slavery was beneficial to African Americans because it helped them acquire skills."
Furthermore, the FEA took aim at elementary school students being required to learn "identify" famous African Americans like Rosa Parks, Zora Neale Hurston, and George Washington Carver but not learn broader context of the individuals histories and backgrounds.
"But their study of African American history does not extend to understanding these individuals’ histories and struggles. Evidently in an attempt to protect students from wokeness, these new standards will make sure that, through the fourth grade, elementary school students’ knowledge of African American history doesn’t extend beyond being able to know who a famous African American is when they see them," the FEA press release stated.
The Florida DOE sent Fox News Digital a statement in response to the FEA criticism and said students will learn about the "good, bad, and the ugly."
"The FEA, fresh off another defeat in court, is just looking to convince educators that they have any shred of usefulness left as an organization," said Alex Lanfranconi, the Director of Communications at Florida Dept. of Education. "Every standard, benchmark and benchmark clarification was developed using a methodical process within our workgroup. Our workgroup began in February and worked through May to ensure the new standards provide comprehensive and rigorous instruction on African American History. We proudly stand behind these African American History Standards."
Flordia DOE specifically addressed the accusation that the curriculum about slaves benefiting from slavery.
"There have been questions raised about language within a benchmark clarification of standard SS.68.AA.2.3, which says ‘Instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit," the statement reads. "The intent of this particular benchmark clarification is to show that some slaves developed highly specialized trades from which they benefited. This is factual and well-documented. Some examples include: blacksmiths like Ned Cobb, Henry Blair, Lewis Latimer and John Henry; shoemakers like James Forten, Paul Cuffe and Betty Washington Lewis; fishing and shipping industry workers like Jupiter Hammon, John Chavis, William Whipper and Crispus Attucks; tailors like Elizabeth Keckley, James Thomas and Marietta Carter; and teachers like Betsey Stockton and Booker T. Washington."
"Any attempt to reduce slaves to just victims of oppression fails to recognize their strength, courage, and resiliency during a difficult time in American history. Florida students deserve to learn how slaves took advantage of whatever circumstances they were in to benefit themselves and the community of African descendants," the statement continued.
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Reportedly, the FEA was among 11 organizations including the NAACP that penned a letter to the Florida State Board of Education criticizing the new standards.
The NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson on Wednesday released a statement calling the new standards "an attempt to bring our country back to a 19th century America where Black life was not valued, nor our rights protected."
