The Harford County school board reversed its June decision and decided to allow an Advanced Placement African American studies course they’d previously called “divisive” to be taught in high schools.

The vote at Monday night’s meeting, which stretched beyond midnight, was unanimous. The board heard from a panel of teachers, students and school administrators who talked about the value of the course to students. It was piloted in three high schools in the county — Bel Air, Joppatowne and Aberdeen — as part of a national program to gather feedback and adjust the course.

The AP African American studies pilot had become a national target in the 2022-2023 school year, when conservative politicians denounced it for what they called “woke indoctrination.” Florida prohibited the course from being taught in public schools. Then, in early 2023, liberal teachers and school leaders criticized the College Board, the nonprofit that creates AP courses, for watering down the class in light of conservative criticism. The College Board said it always intended to make changes based on feedback from teachers and administrators in the schools that were piloting it that first year.

Previously some Harford school board members had said they believed the course was too political and didn’t include enough positive history. Some board members had also seen an earlier version of the course online and confused it with what is currently being taught, according to Jillian Lader, a school system spokeswoman. The College Board has made two revisions to the course, one in Feb. 2023 and a second in Dec. 2023, which is what will be used when the course officially launches next school year.

After the June decision to reject the course, the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland wrote a letter to the school board asking that it reconsider and noting that the course is optional and provides students the ability to get college credits if they pass the exam.

“An honest review of any area of history will often reveal uncomfortable or harsh realities — realities that should be studied and learned from, especially by students who will be our future leaders,” the letter said.

On Tuesday, Jheanelle Wilkins, a state delegate representing Montgomery County, said, “When the community speaks out and has a collective strong voice, change happens. That is what happened.”

Wilkins, who chairs the Black Caucus, said more than 60 people signed up to provide comments to the board, and most of them supported the course on African American history.

The Black Caucus does not usually comment on local issues, she said, but in this case they believed it was a national issue. “The study of our history should be non-negotiable.”

Harford County superintendent Sean Bulson supported making the course part of the regular offerings for high school students. The AP course would provide an authentic portrayal of American history, he said, and it demonstrated the school system’s “commitment to providing an education that reflects the diversity of our student body and community. When we remain true to that commitment, it is unifying, not divisive.”

More than 75% of those enrolled were students of color.

Some board members still expressed concerns that the course would have a liberal bias. Terri Kocher, a board member who voted against the course in June, asked on Monday whether students would leave the class believing that Black people are “oppressed.”

Teachers told board members that they never tell students what to think but rather require students to debate both sides of an issue inside their classrooms, even getting students with strongly held beliefs to argue the opposing side of the issue.

Kocher also asked administrators whether they would be willing to include a list of Black conservatives among those who students could decide to study in depth, including Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Roland Fryer Jr., a Harvard professor who analyzed racial differences in police use of force. No promises were made by administrators, who said that ultimately it will be up to the county’s AP teachers to decide. Aberdeen High School teacher John Mobley said he always encourages students to cover controversial topics because it usually engages them. He said he would not limit what issues students study during certain parts of the course.

While the College Board creates what it calls “a framework” for what is to be studied in the course, they do not write a curriculum. The framework includes issues that may be on the AP exam, but individual teachers have a degree of freedom to add to the framework or focus in on particular issues.

Only six students in Harford County took the AP exam this spring. All of them passed it. Teachers said they believed that because the course is still new, students were unsure about whether colleges would accept the credits.

Banner reporter Kristen Griffith contributed reporting.