Little Rock, Arkansas - Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded to criticism after the Arkansas Department of Education blocked an Advanced Placement (AP) African American studies course.

In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, Sanders, who signed an executive order in January that banned "indoctrination and critical race theory in schools," sounded off.

"We cannot perpetuate a lie to our students and push this propaganda leftist agenda, teaching our kids to hate America and hate one another. It's one of the reasons that we put into law banning things like indoctrination and [critical race theory]."

"We want our kids to receive a quality education, and we want to make sure that every student has access to it and a pathway to prosperity, and that's exactly what we're doing here in the state of Arkansas," she added.

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Earlier this week, The Arkansas Times reported that the day the state's 2023-2024 school year was set to begin, the Arkansas Department of Education announced students would not be awarded credits for completing the course.

"The AP African American Studies pilot course is not a history course and is a pilot that is still undergoing major revisions," the department said in a statement.

"Arkansas law contains provisions regarding prohibited topics," the statement added. "Without clarity, we cannot approve a pilot that may unintentionally put a teacher at risk of violating Arkansas law."

The governor's defense came after multiple organizations criticized the move, including the Arkansas State Conference of the NAACP which said they were "appalled" by the move. They also accused the state of making the decision "at the final hour."

Sanders has been leading an effort to place heavy restrictions and guidelines on education as Republicans around the country have been waging war against subjects they deem as leftist or "woke" ideologies, particularly those studying Black history or sex and gender issues.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is running for president in 2024, has been leading the charge with some of the most aggressive laws in the country. Most recently, Florida enacted new standards on teaching Black history, forcing instructors to include "how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit."

Despite the popularity of the "war on wokeness," DeSantis' persistent focus on the issue hasn't helped him win over voters in the Republican primaries.