The College Board said it should have denounced the DeSantis administration's comments that AP African American Studies "lacks educational value" sooner and reemphasized that there is still work to be done on the course's outline.

The academic organization said claims that Florida and the College Board were in "frequent dialogue" about the course is a "false and politically motivated charge." The College Board said the only interactions the organization had with the state included a rejection letter of the course and phone calls with the state Department of Education that were "absent of substance."

The DeSantis administration's decision to block the course from high school curriculum sparked outrage among activists, students, and state lawmakers. The administration could face a lawsuit from three AP honors students, represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump if he does not negotiate on introducing the course into Florida's high school curriculum.

"In the discussion, they did not offer feedback but instead asked vague, uninformed questions like, 'What does the word 'intersectionality' mean?' and 'Does the course promote Black Panther thinking?'" the College Board said in a long statement on Saturday. "FDOE did not bring any African American Studies scholars or teachers to their call with us, despite the presence in their state of so many renowned experts in this discipline."