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Families for Strong Public SchoolsIn July, the Florida Board of Education passed African American History standards for grades K-12. These standards aim to teach the rich and complicated history of African Americans. This approval is just the start of a work in progress. The FLBOE has its next meeting on Aug. 23, and Families for Strong Public Schools is requesting the following be changed and/or added to the current standards:

1. Change the language of standards to address that enslaved people did not benefit from being enslaved.
2. Create and include standards that teach the history of the African diaspora to properly reflect the history of African peoples.
3. Create and include standards that teach about the African American experience post-1965 to the modern day.
4. Create and include standards for K-4 that exceed rote memorization and require students to analyze and assess the history of African Americans in grades 3 and 4.
5. Approve classroom resources that can be used for African American History Standards.
6. Implement an ongoing review process of African American History Standards.

The current standards are incomplete and this is merely a start to teaching the complex history of African Americans as noted by Dr. Burns, Chancellor of K12 Education, in the July meeting. We must ensure that African American History is taught diligently and accurately, without any political indoctrination. The Florida Board of Education also needs to approve and provide resources that can be used for these standards. The lack of approval for resources implies that Florida is not serious about teaching African American Standards.

Every child in the United States must have access to an accurate and thoughtful education. Please join us in signing this petition to let the FLBOE know that you are in agreement with Families for Strong Public Schools.

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Families for Strong Public Schools was incorporated in April 2022 and headquartered in Coral Gables. Its president is Teresa Potter, who is also president of the League of Women Voters in Hillsborough and Pasco Counties. Its website is StrongFLSchools.com.