DeSantis Signs Bill Requiring AAPI History in Florida Schools

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that mandates the inclusion of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history in the state’s K-12 curriculum.

The general education bill, which includes other new requirements in the sector, will specifically require the teaching of the incarceration of Japanese Americans in World War II, the “immigration, citizenship, civil rights, identity and culture” of AAPIs and the group’s contributions to American society.

Tuesday’s signing makes Florida the first Republican-led state to pass such a law. Mimi Chan, director of Make Us Visible Florida — the local chapter of a nonprofit that pushes for the inclusion of AAPI studies in public schools — led the effort for two years to make it happen.

“It took a lot of work and determination in order to get this passed,” Chan said, according to The Independent Florida Alligator. “Asian American history is American history.”

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