The Missouri school board that tried to pull Black history courses was defeated this week by diversity advocates who say the battle has only just begun, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Friday.
After the Francis Howell School District board's move to drop Black History and Black Literature courses caused a national uproar, members agreed to reinstitute classes upon approval, according to the report.
The new curriculum must be "largely politically neutral," board President Adam Bertrand and Superintendent Kenneth Roumpos said, a statement that caused alarm among those who fought the initial action.
"Black History and Black Literature cannot be taught from a ‘politically-neutral’ perspective," replied Heather Fleming, founder of the Missouri Equity Education Partnership, in a Facebook post. "Our entire experience in America has been impacted by socio-political movements."
Writes reporter Blythe Bernhard, "Advocates for diversity in education said they will not back down."
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The uproar arrived after the board voted to rescind the district’s 2020 anti-racism resolution that was adopted in 2020. The St. Louis Post Dispatch notes more than 3,350 people signed a student-led petition to reinstate the courses.