Florida School Districts Drop Advanced Placement Psychology Course Due to Violation of State Law, Prompting Controversy

Many large school districts in Florida have decided to drop Advanced Placement (AP) psychology from their course offerings due to concerns that the class’s discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity violates state law. Out of the 11 districts with the largest enrollment in the class, eight are switching to alternate courses, while two others are still undecided. The state of Florida has encouraged schools to teach the course without objectionable material, but the College Board, which oversees AP, insists that these topics are essential to the study of psychology. Recently, the College Board advised districts not to offer the course, causing confusion among school districts and education officials. In response to this conflict, many school districts are changing their course offerings just days before classes are set to begin. The Brevard County Schools, for example, decided not to offer AP Psychology at their high schools this year because they felt they were in a no-win situation. If they removed objectionable material, students would not receive AP credit, but if they taught the entire content, they would violate the law. This decision has prompted criticism from students and parents who were looking forward to taking the class.