Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is facing mounting backlash regarding his administration’s decision to prohibit an Advanced Placement high school course on African American studies, with Black leaders rallying in the capital, a prominent civil rights lawyer threatening to sue and state lawmakers urging him to reverse the decision.

Attorney Ben Crump accused DeSantis of violating the federal and state constitutions Wednesday by refusing to permit the course. His legal team noted that a federal judge found a 2010 law in Arizona that banned a Mexican American studies program from Tucson schools unconstitutional and officials “motivated by racial animus.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis John Locher/Associated Press, file

The state Department of Education contends that the class is “inexplicably contrary to Florida law.” A new education law championed by DeSantis requires lessons on race be taught in “an objective matter” and “not used to indoctrinate or persuade students to a particular point of view.” Some education advocates and teachers say the law is so broadly framed that it is having a chilling effect on the teaching of Black history.

“If he does not negotiate with the College Board to allow AP African American Studies to be taught in classrooms across the state of Florida, these three young people will be the lead plaintiffs in a historic lawsuit,” Crump said before he introduced the students.

Crump has been involved in several high-profile civil rights cases involving Black Americans and vowed that DeSantis “cannot exterminate our culture.”

The latest controversy in Florida education policies began this month, when the DeSantis administration said a pilot Advanced Placement course on Black history would not be approved by the state Department of Education because it violated state law and “lacks educational value.”

The state Education Department listed “concerns” in the curriculum, including topics covering “Intersectionality and Activism,” “Black Feminist Literary Theory” and “Black Queer Studies.”

“Now who would say that an important part of Black history is queer theory?” DeSantis said at a news conference this week. “That is somebody pushing an agenda on our kids.”

But critics of the governor, who has made eliminating what he calls “woke indoctrination” from schools and businesses a key part of his platform, say he is unfairly targeting Black history by not allowing the course to be taught in Florida. Other Advanced Placement classes, such as European history, have not been scrutinized by the DeSantis administration.

The College Board said in a news release Tuesday that the “official framework” of the course will be released Feb. 1, replacing the pilot program and incorporating feedback from high schools and colleges. It does not mention input from public officials.

A College Board spokesman declined to comment on whether the curriculum was being adjusted in light of the DeSantis administration’s concerns. AP classes take two to six years to develop, according to the board, and “are regularly reviewed thereafter.”

Alex Lanfranconi, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Education, said in a statement that the administration is “encouraged to see the College Board express a willingness to amend.” He added that the state will reconsider approving the class after examining the new curriculum.

“We look forward to reviewing the College Board’s changes and expect the removal of content on Critical Race Theory, Black Queer Studies, Intersectionality, and other topics that violate our law,” Lanfranconi said.

Meanwhile, dozens gathered at a “Stop the Black Attack” rally in Tallahassee organized by Equal Ground, a voting rights advocacy group. Several speakers accused DeSantis of trying to further marginalize the state’s Black community during his time in office. State Sen. Shevrin Jones, D, said DeSantis should be addressing issues such as “crumbling schools, dilapidated buildings in our communities” and high property insurance costs.

“These are the issues that’s being ignored because we have to deal with the promotion of Jim Crow 3.0 by people who don’t know and don’t care about what’s happening in Black communities, but they desire to referee how you teach our history,” Jones said.

DeSantis has said he wants students to learn Black history – and by law, they are required to – but accused teachers of indoctrinating students to believe a “woke ideology.”

Leaders with the state legislature’s Black caucus are planning to engage with national civil rights organizations to put together additional educational opportunities around Black history so that students “will not have to wait on a state or governor to see the value in their history,” the lawmakers said in a statement this week.

State Rep. Michele Rayner, D, said that DeSantis is on a political “witch hunt” and violating Florida students’ freedom to learn – and that students are aware.

“They know that the erasure of history is not a secret,” Rayner said. “There are 2.8 million students sitting in Florida public schools right now knowing that their governor does not want them to learn about Black history.”