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Sarasota forms African American history task force, maps path to state 'exemplary' status
Summary
The district launched a local African American history task force in summer 2024 and presented a new K–12 curriculum guide and an implementation rubric tied to the Florida Commissioner’s initiative; district leaders said they plan partnerships with USF and community groups to build teacher training and field experiences.
Sarasota County School District staff and community members described the work of a newly formed African American history task force during the Feb. 4 workshop, and outlined steps to pursue "exemplary" status under a Florida Department of Education rubric.
Miss O’Day, who chairs the district-level effort, told the board the task force began in summer 2024 and includes district curriculum staff, program specialists and community members drawn from teachers, the NAACP, the African American Cultural Coalition and the Friends of the Betty Jean Johnson Library.
"There is a task force at the state level focused on similar things that we are doing locally and overall...they are the guiding compass for local task forces," O’Day said, referring to the Commissioner of Education’s African American History Task Force and its rubric.
High-school curriculum director Doctor Anderson and elementary curriculum director Rachel Chappell walked the board through how the district aligned the state’s African American history standards into K–12 course bands. The district said it created a stand‑alone curriculum guide that cross-references core social-studies standards and state-required instruction, while calling out age‑appropriate texts and primary-source materials teachers can use.
Dr. Anderson said the required-instruction standards are layered on top of the state’s core curriculum standards and that the district aligned African American history expectations with U.S. history, world history and government courses where appropriate.
Task-force work will expand into six rubric subcomponents required for the Commissioner’s "exemplary" pathway, district staff said: required instruction coverage, structured professional learning for teachers, curriculum and supplemental resources, field experiences, a partnership with a university for deeper content training (USF), and community education. Staff said the curriculum guide is mostly complete and that field experiences — local sites, virtual visits and guest-speaker programs — are in development.
Notable early activities include a Buck O'Neil fourth-grade virtual event (18 schools participating) and a West Coast Black Theatre Troupe partnership for high-school arts/history programming. Staff described ongoing resource vetting to ensure texts are age‑appropriate and standards-aligned.
The board heard the district intends to work with USF on structured professional learning and to continue community outreach through the task force as it pursues exemplary status. Members of the task force told the board they would prioritize teacher content knowledge, field experiences and community-facing events.
Ending: District leaders said they will continue refining curriculum guides, build teacher training with USF, and return with a timeline for rubric milestones toward exemplary designation.
