ST. LOUIS — Students in a suburban St. Louis school district can continue to take Black history electives, school leaders announced Thursday in a reversal of a vote by the conservative-led school board last week to end classes.
But the Francis Howell School District board must first approve a new curriculum “that is rigorous and largely politically neutral,” its president and superintendent said Thursday in a statement to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
“After thorough discussions, we believe there is an appropriate path forward to offer Black History and Black Literature an updated curriculum standard in the 2024-2025 school year,” said Board President Adam Bertrand and Superintendent Kenneth Roumpos.
The Francis Howell School District board voted 5-2 last week to stop offering Black History and Black Literature courses that had been offered at the district's three high schools since 2021. Just over 100 students took the courses this semester in the predominantly white suburban area of St. Louis.
Last week's decision to cancel the courses was met with protests outside the board meeting. Several parents and students sang, “Let them learn!”
Activists appear skeptical about the board's plan for a revamped curriculum.
“Black history and black literature cannot be taught from a 'politically neutral' perspective because our entire experience in America has been influenced by sociopolitical movements,” Heather Fleming, founder of the Missouri Equity Education Partnership, wrote on Facebook.
In July, the board withdrew an anti-racism resolution and ordered copies removed from school buildings. The resolution was passed in August 2020 amid the national unrest after a police officer killed George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The resolution pledged that the Francis Howell community would “strongly speak out against any racism, discrimination and senseless violence against people regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, immigration status, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or ability.”
The resolution and course offerings were targeted by five new members who have taken over leadership of the board since their election last year and in April, all with the support of the conservative Francis Howell Families political action committee. All seven board members are white.
The PAC's website comes out strongly against the courses, saying they include principles of critical race theory, although many experts say the scientific theory that focuses on the idea that racism is systemic in the country's institutions is not being addressed. taught in primary schools.
U.S. school board elections have become an intense political battleground since 2020, when some groups began pushing back against policies aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.
Political action committees in many local districts have successfully elected candidates who pledged to take action on the teaching of race and sexuality, remove books deemed offensive and shut down transgender-inclusive sports teams.