FLORIDA — There has been a lot of discussion about Florida's new educational standards for Black history, leaving many parents confused and questioning what their children will learn this fall — and what they won't.
Florida's Board of Education approved a revised Black history curriculum to satisfy legislation signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate who has accused public schools of liberal indoctrination.
The new standards include instruction that enslaved people benefited from slavery because they learned skills while in bondage. Teachers are also expected to show how acts of violence during the Ocoee Massacre — where an estimated 50 people were killed when a white mob attacked Black residents for trying to vote — were "perpetuated against and by African Americans."
Now there are other options for students to learn Black History, like the Associate for the Study of African American Life and History's "Freedom Schools" for parents who want to expand their children’s education outside of the classroom.
Justice for All digs deeper into what the new standards have changed and why, and discusses whether parents should consider outside programs to fill in any gaps.
Panelists include State Reps. Michele Rayner (D-District 62), who has questioned the additions, and Berny Jacques (R-District 59), who supports them.