At least four more states will review the new Advanced Placement African American studies course to see if it conflicts with their policies or laws restricting the teaching of race, an indication that the controversy swirling around the class in Florida could spiral.

Officials in Arkansas, Virginia, North Dakota and Mississippi said they had questions and planned reviews before deciding whether the new class may be taught in their classrooms. Another four states said no review was planned, but suggested that could change.

“I haven’t seen the course content for this particular course but just from reading certain news reports there are allegations that it contains elements of critical race theory,” said Dale Wetzel, spokesman for the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. “So we’re going to need to look at it. We don’t want to assign a course code to something that violates state law.”

The course, which covers a wide range of Black history and cultural topics, is being piloted in about 60 classrooms nationwide this year. The pilot will continue this fall, and the class will be widely available in fall 2024 — unless states block their schools from offering it. In many states, no class can count toward graduation unless it is granted a state-issued course code.

[Darn it! No one noticed a thing until that dang DeSantis guy ran his mouth… {:^D ~ Beege]