Another clash between state education officials and the College Board popped off this week, as the organization said Florida’s restrictions on instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity have “effectively banned” an Advanced Placement psychology course.
The College Board, which develops the college-level courses offered to high-school students, said Florida superintendents were informed Thursday that content in the course violates state law.
“We are sad to have learned that today the Florida Department of Education has effectively banned AP Psychology in the state by instructing Florida superintendents that teaching foundational content on sexual orientation and gender identity is illegal under state law. The state has said districts are free to teach AP Psychology only if it excludes any mention of these essential topics,” the College Board said in a press release.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis in May signed a law that bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity for Florida students in prekindergarten through eighth grade.
Separately, the state Board of Education earlier this summer approved a rule that requires teachers to follow a prohibition on sexual orientation and gender identity instruction in high school, unless lessons are required by state academic standards or are “part of a reproductive health course or health lesson for which a student’s parent has the option to have his or her student not attend.”
The AP course “asks students to ‘describe how sex and gender influence socialization and other aspects of development.’ This element of the framework is not new: gender and sexual orientation have been part of AP Psychology since the course launched 30 years ago,” the College Board’s release said.
According to the College Board, more than 28,000 Florida students took the AP Psychology course last school year. The 2023-2024 academic year starts as early as next week for some Florida school districts.
The state education department, however, pushed back on the College Board’s assertion that the course was banned.
“Just one week before school starts, the College Board is attempting to force school districts to prevent students from taking the AP Psychology Course. The Department didn’t ‘ban’ the course. The course remains listed in Florida’s Course Code Directory for the 2023-24 school year. We encourage the College Board to stop playing games with Florida students and continue to offer the course and allow teachers to operate accordingly,” Department of Education spokeswoman Cassandra Palelis said in an email Thursday.
At least one of Florida’s largest school districts has advised parents and students that the course would not be available for the coming school year.
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The Orange County school district on Thursday notified the community that AP Psychology “is no longer a potential course option” for students.
The dispute over the AP Psychology course is not the first time DeSantis and state education officials have clashed with the College Board. In January, the state objected to several topics that were proposed for inclusion in an AP African American studies course that was being developed.
The controversy over the African American studies course prompted DeSantis, who is running for president, to say that the state would “look to re-evaluate” its relationship with the organization.
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