Advanced Placement African American studies will be offered in Georgia high schools with state funding, Superintendent Richard Woods said Tuesday, but some members of both political parties are still wondering why there was ever any question.

Woods, a Republican, said his reversal came after receiving a letter from Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican, clarifying that , the state’s 2022 law banning so-called divisive concepts in the classroom, exempts AP, international baccalaureate and dual enrollment classes.

“Thus, any such course developed by its controlling entity will be automatically adopted within the state-approved course catalog. It will not have to receive a recommendation from either the State School Superintendent of Georgia or the Georgia State Board of Education. It will also not require a vote to approve or deny adoption into the state-approved course catalog,” Woods wrote in a .

“As I have said, I will follow the law. In compliance with this opinion, the AP African American Studies course will be added to the state-funded course catalog effective immediately,” he added.

Woods said all AP courses will now come with a disclaimer in the state course catalog stating that they were not vetted by the state and that districts need to obey the law.

The school year has already begun for many Georgia students, and some districts, including Atlanta Public Schools and Cobb County Schools, said they are offering the course like any other AP class.

Georgia’s largest school district, Gwinnett County, previously said it would not offer the class, but county superintendent Calvin Watts said Wednesday that schools will work with students who signed up for the course last spring to allow them to change their schedules to add the class.

“While this is a victory in many ways, the State Superintendent’s actions caused undue burden on our schools and pain to many in our community, including our students,” he said. “However, I am grateful for the collective advocacy of our students, families, staff, and community to do what is right for our students. I am sorry that we went through this, but I am happy that in the end, our students can take this course and receive the full AP experience and rewards of completing the course successfully.”

Woods’ move is a reversal from , when he said he chose not to recommend state approval for the college-level class because of the divisive concepts law, although he said schools could still offer the class through a workaround. That didn’t satisfy many critics, who said treating a class on Black history and culture as separate and controversial appeared racist.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp also evinced doubt about Woods’ decision, sending him a letter questioning aspects of the choice.

Last week, Woods said he was seeking to determine whether the law exempted AP and other advanced classes. That’s where Rep. Will Wade came in. The Dawsonville Republican who sits on the House Education Committee was the chief sponsor of the divisive concepts bill and said the bill absolutely exempts those classes.

“Once I understood that he was trying to find clarity, I felt obligated as the author of the bill to get clarification with the AG’s office, which he provided to me, and I shared it with the staff at the DOE to say, ‘Hey guys, I’m not sure why you are having confusion and what’s going on, but I want you to know that I’ve asked this question, and I’m happy to share it with you.’ And that occurred earlier this week,” Wade said.

The divisive concepts bill states that “Nothing in this Code section shall be construed or applied to …. Prohibit the full and rigorous implementation of curricula, or elements of a  curriculum, that are required as part of advanced placement, international baccalaureate,  or dual enrollment coursework; provided, however, that such implementation is done in a professionally and academically appropriate manner and without espousing personal  political beliefs.”

Wade said he and the House Education Committee decided to add that carve out to protect students’ opportunity to take challenging classes meant for college students and earn extra credit.

“I think that he understands that he made a mistake,” he said, referring to Woods. “I understand he apologized last week for how we got where we got, but I can’t tell you why. I don’t know his legal opinion or who is advising him in his office, and I’m a big believer in teamwork and learning from mistakes. I’m a son of two educators, and that’s part of learning, and so I hope that the superintendent uses this as a great learning experience to improve communication and gain better understanding in the future as it relates to laws that affect his department and his responsibilities.”

Education Department spokeswoman Meghan Frick said Woods had been in contact with Carr before receiving the letter from Wade.

“This, along with clarification he sought and received from the AG regarding the course adoption process, is the first formal legal opinion we’ve received on this issue,” she said.

The Georgia Attorney General’s office spokesperson Kara Murray confirmed the office provided legal advice but said they could not provide comment on it because of attorney-client privilege.

Powder Springs Democrat David Wilkerson, another House Education Committee member, said he’s relieved at the resolution, but he worries the divisive concepts bill creates more messes that lawmakers will need to decide how to tidy up.

“Even though the advanced placement was there you still get the risk of a teacher giving their political views, and that’s never been clarified on what that exactly means, your personal political views,” he said. “Is slavery wrong? Is it not wrong? I think we all agree at this point that it was wrong, but that still could be espoused as a political view. So I think as long as 1084 is around, I think you’re going to have that concern. Now instead of having it at the DOE level, you’re going to have it at the district level.”

The course has been a flashpoint in the culture wars nationwide, including in, where a lawsuit involving the course is underway, and in, where Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would ban the course because he said it represented an attempt to indoctrinate children.

The battle lines have been different in Georgia, with Republicans who speak on the record opposing Woods’ original decision not to support the class.

Emory University political science professor Andra Gillespie said Woods may have realized he was fighting a losing battle without any allies, and Kemp may have calculated that appearing to fight against African American studies may have presented a bad look ahead of this year’s election.

“It could be something about not sending off unnecessary salvos in the culture wars,” she said. “This could be viewed as excessive, and it’s also something that could be framed as denying children the type of educational advantage that’s going to make them competitive for college, right? There are content discussions that I think Kemp and Woods and other Republicans are comfortable having, but this particular issue of denying a class for which Georgia students could get college credit, which would save them money in the long term and help them achieve a college education, is something that looks like that you’re actually denying people more things than you are providing more advantages and opportunities. And the optics of it look bad in a state where 30% of the population is Black.”

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During the campaign, Searcy, a former state representative who supports school choice, touted her ability to work across the aisle. But with Republicans prevailing in other statewide races, her message apparently didn’t break through.

In the wake of recent results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress — showing flat performance in Georgia since 2019, but a sharp in eighth-grade math — Woods told ����Ӱ�� he plans to “stabilize and improve student academic performance as we move out of the pandemic” and to “bolster and support our teacher workforce.”

With Woods looking to hold onto his seat, the state education department would continue its shift away from Common Core standards, long associated with the Obama administration despite their origin in the states. Georgia is in the process of implementing new math and English language arts . Observers suggest it will also join other states in emphasizing evidence-based literacy instruction.

“I have seen some encouraging signs that literacy is emerging as a focus,” said Ken Zeff, executive director of Learn4Life, a nonprofit working to improve education in the metro Atlanta area. “That could help reverse not just the latest NAEP results, but generations of students struggling with literacy.”

During the campaign, Woods emphasized his efforts to reduce testing and teacher evaluation visits. He said Searcy’s lack of experience as a classroom teacher made her unprepared to lead the education department. 

Searcy criticized Woods’s support for a state law restricting how teachers can discuss some , which she said ties teachers’ hands and undermines their professionalism.

A charter schools supporter, Searcy served as superintendent of a small, all-girls charter network before leaving to work as an educational consultant. Her advocacy for school choice, however, lost her the endorsement of the Georgia Association of Educators, the state affiliate of the National Education Association.

The race was largely overshadowed by other high-profile match-ups on the ballot, namely former football star Herschel Walker’s bid to oust Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Stacey Abrams’s second attempt to defeat Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. Kemp was re-elected with almost 54% of the vote, but the Walker/Warnock race is still too close to call.

The two-term incumbent’s support of a controversial that restricts what teachers can say about race and diversity in the classroom was apparently less worrisome to the union than the platform of Alisha Thomas Searcy, his Democratic challenger. 

“His opponent, regrettably, has a long history of advocating for taxpayer funding of private schools that we cannot overlook,” President Lisa Morgan said when announcing the union’s slate of candidates.

Searcy was elected to the state House at just 23 and consistently advocated for school choice legislation during her 12 years in office. She co-authored a law that allows students to transfer to other schools within their district, voted in favor of the state’s and championed a constitutional amendment creating the State Charter Schools Commission. Groups seeking to start a new charter school can apply directly to the commission instead of their local district. 

“It’s opening up opportunities within public education for literally hundreds of thousands of children,” Searcy said, noting that her views are likely to earn her some Republican votes. “I have a track record of working across the aisle and having bipartisan relationships.”

Woods also supports charter schools, but expanding choice has not been the focus of his campaign.

The match-up between Woods and Searcy is occuring in the shadows of two high-profile Georgia contests — between Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams, and the between Democratic incumbent Rev. Raphael Warnock and former football star Republican Herschel Walker. But with growing concerns over using federal relief funds to boost student achievement and supporting a beleaguered , the state’s schools face a critical moment. 

The candidates “don’t have traditional platforms that align with what you would expect,” said Mikayla Arciaga, a former Atlanta Public Schools teacher and education advocate. “This is a true test of voter education and whether people really weigh what is most important.”

Searcy won the primary with 57% of the vote, avoiding a runoff. She complained recently that Abrams and Democratic groups have shunned her, likely because of her focus on school choice. But she told ����Ӱ�� that she thinks those groups have since “changed course.”

“There may have been a problem with the establishment, not with voters,” she said. “I’m optimistic about being included on everything and moving forward.”

‘Can’t ride the middle’ 

Both Woods and Searcy have pledged to increase support for teachers. A former teacher and administrator, Woods has reduced the number of annual teacher evaluations and cut back on standardized testing. Now he’d like the federal government to only require testing every other year and for districts to pare down local assessments.

Woods also called for a report on teacher burnout — of recommendations for protecting teachers’ planning and teaching time, removing “unrealistic expectations” and increasing mental health support. Hailing from a county in central Georgia, Woods could appeal to rural voters who often from laws and policies dictated from Atlanta.

“He has done things that have helped, but you can’t unequivocally say he’s a champion for teachers,” Arciaga said. “He can’t ride the middle anymore.”

During a recent hosted by the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and Learn4Life, Searcy took a shot at Woods’s record on teachers, contrasting it with her own experience as a former superintendent of a small all-girls .

“I didn’t just listen and produce a report. I took action because that’s what strong superintendents do,” she said. She said she ensured teachers had enough classroom supplies, gave them $500 for training opportunities and held celebrations when teachers signed contracts to return the next year. During her tenure at Ivy Preparatory Academy, from 2015 to 2018, she said she increased teacher retention from 25% to 75%.

Searcy, who lost in a Democratic primary for state superintendent in 2014, argued that the incumbent hasn’t done enough to push for higher teacher pay. According to the National Education Association, for teachers in the state, $38,692, ranks 35th, and the average pay of $60,553 ranks 21st. 

Professional respect

The election also comes as the state implements a new “divisive concepts” law that many argue is vaguely worded and undermines teachers’ professionalism. Some have balked at adopting local policies that would allow parents or others to file complaints about a teacher’s comments. The school board in the DeKalb County district initially resisted for two months, but then reversed course, passing its policy . 

Searcy said she supports those districts’ positions on the issue and if she’s elected, would make sure the guidance for teachers is clear and protects them from consequences as long as they’re teaching state standards.

“Teachers are concerned the state doesn’t respect them as professionals to know what to teach and how to teach it,” she said.

A former history teacher, Woods told ����Ӱ�� there was nothing in the law “that would prevent me from being a great teacher.” But he said districts that don’t pass a complaint policy could risk their accreditation or status as “charter” districts immune from some state regulations.

For voters, the decision may come down to their experience. Woods said his 25 years in K-12 schools give him an advantage over Searcy, who has not been a teacher. 

But some of her supporters say it’s time for a fresh perspective.

“We need a leader who has experience in 21st century schools,” said Jason B. Allen, an educator who served on Ivy Prep’s board and ran unsuccessfully last year for the Atlanta school board. 

Ultimately, voters may make their decisions based on who they support for governor, said Charles Bullock, a political science professor at the University of Georgia. In that case, Democrats opposed to expanding school choice could be surprised if they choose Searcy, he said. 

He added that some of the dissatisfaction at local school board meetings over the past year hasn’t reached the state level enough to attract more interest in the superintendent’s race.
“Even if one of these candidates wins the lottery,” he said, “there’s so much noise over the Senate and gubernatorial contests, it’s hard to get people’s attention.”