Not every high school student is suited for an advanced placement or AP class. They are more rigorous, more demanding courses with a hefty dose of college curriculum. Now it appears not all school boards are prepared for them either. Last month’s vote by a majority of the Harford County Board of Education to cancel an AP African American Studies course on the grounds that the year-long elective class is “politically oriented” and “divisive” suggests a level of ignorance and close-mindedness ill-suited for educators.

Harford’s teachers’ union captured the moment well in a recent protest letter reminding board members that the College Board, the nonprofit that pioneered AP and SAT tests, developed the curriculum. Apparently, some board members found it too “woke” to teach students about racism, Jim Crow laws, or the modern civil rights movement.

“The board talks about creating ‘balance and both sides’ in courses; there is no ‘both sides’ to slavery or the horrors of Jim Crow laws in the South,” according to the letter signed by the unions representing teachers and other school employees. “Instead of trusting the experts who have collectively dedicated decades of their lives to education, you continue to push your own political agenda regardless of whether it is educationally sound.”

As the authors point out, the same board majority has revealed a taste for a greater “opt-out” right of parents to determine school curriculum so that it more closely hews to their own political ideology. One can only imagine what an African American Studies class would be like under such leadership. The Civil War? The Amistad trial? Martin Luther King Jr.? The writings of Maya Angelou? Might these topics make the board squeamish? What would be a truly sickening educational failure would be for any school system to claim it’s teaching high school students contemporary U.S. history without a deep dive into all of the above.

The board has also been dabbling into book bans. Earlier this year, members established a Library Materials Reconsideration Committee to consider any items sitting on the shelves of school libraries that have been challenged. One can only hope that this advisory group will hold a firmer line than has been seen in Carroll County where book banning has been in full swing. That, in turn, helped convince the Maryland General Assembly this year to pass emergency legislation known as the “Freedom to Read Act” to protect material in public and school libraries from bans based on partisan or doctrinal grounds.

Do we now need a Freedom to Learn Act?

Harford’s high-achieving students may yet overcome this new barrier to learning, but not without paying a price. Much of the same curriculum is offered in freshman history classes at colleges and universities across the country — but not freely, given the average cost of tuition, room and board at a U.S. college is approaching $40,000 per year. And that’s only one of the ways the board’s decision disadvantages Harford students seeking a post-secondary education. AP classes can often be applied as college credit, and success at the AP level helps high school students gain admission to selective schools (and earn scholarships in some cases). Helping such students succeed is an important part of any school system’s mission.

In review, while the standards for getting into an AP course are high, the standards for running for Harford County school board are low. You need to be a registered voter and county resident. AP students, on the other hand, must have demonstrated critical thinking skills. Too bad those living in Harford County won’t be able to apply them toward an African American Studies class this fall. We would humbly suggest they supplement their education by checking out a copy of “From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans” while the widely respected textbook is still available at local libraries.