President Joe Biden snidely ripped a major push by Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron Desantis to dumb down his state’s schools by censoring books and Black history classes and even jettisoning high-level high school classes.
Biden tweeted Friday in response to DeSantis’ relentless attack on Florida education: “I think every kid, in every zip code, in every state should have access to every education opportunity possible.”
He added, “I guess, for some, that isn’t the consensus view.”
Biden was responding to a story in The Washington Post Thursday about furious Florida parents concerned about deteriorating education in the state due to DeSantis’ efforts against what he considers “woke” instruction to pave the way for his right-wing perspectives that apparently includes a war on courses about Black history.
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 discussed moving out of the state to protect their children’s education, The Washington Post reported.
Earlier this week, DeSantis threatened to block all Advanced Placement (AP) classes in the state. Taking demanding, top-level courses is critical for students seeking admission to the best universities where competition for a spot is fierce. High AP test scores can also earn college credit.
DeSantis made the AP threat in a snit after being blasted by the College Board, the nonprofit organization in charge of Advanced Placement courses, and other educational experts for his “slander” denigrating — and blocking — a new Advanced Placement African American studies course in Florida public schools.
“Parents in this state need to be paying attention to this threat” against AP classes, Katie Hathaway, a Jacksonville parent whose son will enter high school next year, told the Post. “I want him and every student in the state to have access to these valuable courses with college credit opportunities.”