UPDATE: The Florida Department of Education said over the weekend of Aug. 5 that it will now allow the full curriculum for an advanced placement (AP) psychology class to be taught to high school students, The Advocate reported. The decision came a day after the College Board said the state could not censor information about sexuality and gender and still offer the course.
The College Board revealed that Florida initially advised state superintendents on Aug. 3 to cancel their Advanced Placement psychology classes unless they excluded any topics related to gender or sexuality, USA Today noted.
Such a shift would have meant the courses couldn't be called Advanced Placement, however, or used by students to earn college credit, per the College Board.
Regarding this latest development, Equality Florida Senior Political Director Joe Saunders said, "This week, Florida's parents are waking up to the reality that Gov. [Ron] Desantis, Education Commissioner Manny Diaz and the Florida Board of Education have turned our public schools into political battlefields. Their intentionally vague Don't Say LGBTQ rule, built on the legislature's Don't Say LGBTQ law, is fostering sweeping censorship in every classroom in our state.
"Commissioner Diaz's most recent guidance that AP psychology should be taught 'in its entirety' is a recognition that sweeping censorship is wildly unpopular and, unchecked, will continue to do harm to educational opportunities for Florida's students and to public education. AP psychology is one of the most popular AP options for Florida students and has been taught for years, including the curriculum related to sexual orientation and gender identity, in a way that is age-appropriate and in accordance with state standards."
Andrew Davis