The College Board acknowledged that it made errors in launching its new AP African American Studies course, while blaming Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his administration of spreading "misinformation" and seeking a "political win."

In a statement, the non-profit pledged its support of Black scholarship saying, "Our inability to raise our voices betrayed Black scholars everywhere and those who have long toiled to build this remarkable field."

In addition, the organization stated that it should have made clear that participation in contemporary events, such as the Black Lives Matter movement, reparations, and mass incarceration, was optional. College Board stated that the new version of the course is an enhancement and not a dilution of the course's original content.

The new course was rejected by the Florida Department of Education last month because it "is inexplicably contrary to Florida law" and "significantly lacks educational value." The class is being taught in 60 high schools across the country. As the schools are not disclosed, It is uncertain if any are in Florida.

CBS News reported that DeSantis criticized the College Board's letter in a press conference, saying it was the College Board that inserted subjects like Black LGBTQ theory and intersectionality into the course, "not us." The Republican, who some political watchers believe is  planning a 2024 presidential run, characterized the course's proposed syllabus as "indoctrination that runs afoul of our standards."

The College Board statement claimed that the Florida Department of Education was attempting to use the updated modifications as a "political victory," despite not being engaged in the decision. Admitting that it had "regular" contacts with Florida as well as with other states concerning the course's content, the nonprofit insists that these interactions did not impact its decisions on what to include.

The body explicitly addressed this point in its statement, "In an effort to orchestrate a political victory, Florida has claimed credit for the particular improvements we made to the official framework.

"We made the error of treating [Florida Department of Education] with the civility we typically extend to an education agency, but they have used this politeness to advance their political goal,” the statement continued, "As a matter of professional etiquette, we thanked them for their views and contributions after each written or spoken engagement with them, even though they had provided none."

The College Board also criticized Florida's characterization of major issues in African-American history as “fictional.”

“[Florida’s Department of Education] most recent letter continues to deride the field of African American Studies by describing key topics as ‘historically fictional.’ We have asked them what they meant by that accusation, and they have failed to answer,” it said.

“The College Board condemns this uninformed caricature of African American Studies and the harm it does to scholars and students.”