Florida’s slavery curriculum standards sit inside the state’s Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards for Social Studies, adopted by the State Board of Education in July 2023 as Rule 6A-1.09401. Every public school must teach African American history under Florida Statute 1003.42(2)(h), and the benchmarks spell out, grade by grade, what that instruction covers: the history of African peoples before 1619, the Middle Passage, the shift from indentured servitude to race-based hereditary slavery, the duties and trades performed by enslaved people, abolition, Reconstruction-era violence, and the contributions of Americans of the African diaspora.1Justia Law. Florida Code Title XLVIII – Section 1003.422Florida Department of Education. Florida State Academic Standards – Social Studies, 2023 One clarification attached to the middle school benchmarks, directing instruction on how enslaved people developed skills “which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit,” drew national criticism from professional historians.
The Law Behind the Requirement
Section 1003.42(2)(h) requires African American history instruction in every public school and lists the topics that must be covered: the history of African peoples before the political conflicts that led to slavery, the passage to America, enslavement, abolition, and the contributions of Americans of the African diaspora to society.1Justia Law. Florida Code Title XLVIII – Section 1003.42
The statute also requires students to develop an understanding of how prejudice, racism, and stereotyping have infringed on individual freedoms, and it directs that instructional materials “celebrate the inspirational stories of African Americans who prospered, even in the most difficult circumstances.” At the same time, it prohibits using classroom instruction to “indoctrinate or persuade students to a particular point of view” inconsistent with principles listed elsewhere in the section.1Justia Law. Florida Code Title XLVIII – Section 1003.42
What Middle Schoolers Are Taught
The benchmark that generated the most public attention applies to grades six through eight. SS.68.AA.2.3 directs students to “examine the various duties and trades performed by slaves,” listing agricultural work, painting, carpentry, tailoring, domestic service, blacksmithing, and transportation as examples.3CPALMS. SS.68.AA.2.3 – Examine the Various Duties and Trades Performed by Slaves
Attached to the benchmark is a clarification stating: “Instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”3CPALMS. SS.68.AA.2.3 – Examine the Various Duties and Trades Performed by Slaves The National Council for the Social Studies called that clarification “not a historically accepted interpretation of U.S. history,” saying it “falsely implies agency (and choice) among some enslaved humans and fails to recognize that individuals could not use these skills within the systems that were in existence.” When the Board of Education revisited its social studies standards in 2024, the language remained.
What High Schoolers Are Taught
The high school benchmarks cover slavery in more depth and start with a global survey. SS.912.AA.1.1 requires students to examine slavery as it existed in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe before 1619. Its clarifications direct instruction on the slave trade in African kingdoms like Benin and Dahomey, the Barbary pirates kidnapping Europeans for sale in Muslim slave markets, slavery in Asian cultures, the relationship between serfdom and slavery, and the use of slavery among indigenous peoples of the Americas.2Florida Department of Education. Florida State Academic Standards – Social Studies, 2023
SS.912.AA.1.2 covers the transition from indentured servitude to race-based, hereditary slavery in the colonies. Students learn about early indentured servitude at Jamestown, how the growing demand for land and labor shifted that system toward permanent enslavement of Africans, and how indentured servants could own property and earn money under their contracts while enslaved people could not. The benchmark specifically references the Virginia Code Regarding Slaves and Servants of 1705.4CPALMS. African-American History Honors – 2100336
SS.912.AA.1.4 addresses the forced journey to the Americas directly, including the Triangular Trade routes and the Middle Passage.5CPALMS. SS.912.AA.1.4 – Examine the Development of Slavery
The “Against and By” Clarification on Racial Violence
SS.912.AA.3.6 covers the emergence, destruction, and rebuilding of Black communities during Reconstruction and beyond. One clarification directs instruction to include “acts of violence perpetrated against and by African Americans,” listing the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot, the 1919 Washington D.C. Race Riot, the 1920 Ocoee Massacre, the 1921 Tulsa Massacre, and the 1923 Rosewood Massacre.6CPALMS. African-American History – 2100340
The “against and by” phrasing drew criticism from historians because each event listed was overwhelmingly an act of white mob violence against Black communities. The Ocoee Massacre began when a Black man attempted to vote and white residents responded with a coordinated attack that destroyed the entire Black community.
How Districts Must Prove Compliance
In 2023, the legislature passed CS/HB 551, which added enforcement mechanisms. Each district must annually certify and provide evidence to the Florida Department of Education that it is meeting the statute’s requirements.1Justia Law. Florida Code Title XLVIII – Section 1003.42 Districts must also submit an implementation plan to the Commissioner of Education and post it on their website, detailing how instruction will be delivered at each grade level, the professional qualifications of the teachers involved, and the instructional materials being used.7Florida Department of Education. African American History
A district that falls short of the implementation plan requirements gets a notification and 45 days to submit a revised plan. If it still does not comply, the State Board of Education can initiate formal compliance actions.
How Textbooks Get Approved
Under Section 1006.31, state-appointed reviewers evaluate instructional materials to confirm they align with the B.E.S.T. Standards. Materials must be accurate, objective, balanced, and suited to student needs, and must accurately portray the ethnic, cultural, and racial diversity of American society.8Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes Section 1006.31
The same statute prohibits reviewers from recommending materials that “contain any matter reflecting unfairly upon persons because of their race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, disability, socioeconomic status, or occupation,” or that contradict the principles listed in Section 1003.42(3).8Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes Section 1006.31 Local districts also participate, with superintendents nominating teachers and content supervisors to assess materials for classroom usability.
What Historians’ Groups Have Said
Both the American Historical Association and the National Council for the Social Studies issued formal responses to the 2023 standards. The NCSS reviewed the benchmarks and identified “multiple inaccuracies, omissions, and misrepresentations” across the clarifications. On the “personal benefit” language, the NCSS suggested a more accurate standard would examine “the achievements of enslaved peoples despite the oppression and degradation of slavery,” rather than one implying that enslaved people could leverage forced labor for personal gain.
The AHA noted that the standards triggered “a firestorm of protest” from educators, historians, and African American communities. The AHA has separately published criteria recommending that state history standards prioritize student learning, outline achievable expectations for teachers, and foreground disciplinary concepts rather than prescribing specific narratives.9American Historical Association. Criteria for Standards in History/Social Studies/Social Sciences
Defenders of the benchmarks, including Florida’s education commissioner and several workgroup members, said the language was being taken out of context and that the full curriculum covers slavery’s horrors in depth. How that plays out in a given classroom depends on the district’s implementation plan, the approved textbook, and the teacher.