Florida high schools may teach Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology courses, the state Department of Education clarified Friday, a day after it stated that teaching the class would violate the law.
“In fact, the Department believes that AP Psychology can be taught in its entirety in a manner that is age and developmentally appropriate and the course remains listed in our course catalog,” Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. wrote Friday in a letter obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat.
The education department originally argued that the college-level course, intended for high school juniors and seniors, violates Florida state law banning discussion of gender and sexual orientation issues in schools.
That announcement came just days before many Florida school districts begin their school year, causing chaos as some districts canceled the courses while others were at a loss for how to respond.
“We have heard from teachers across Florida who are heartbroken that they are being forced to drop AP and instead teach alternatives that have been deemed legal because the courses exclude these topics,” AP organizer The College Board said in a statement Thursday.
The education department denied banning the course on Thursday before clarifying the policy on Friday. About 30,000 students in Florida are expected to take AP Psychology this year, the company said.
“Today’s statement from the Florida Department of Education represents new guidance on AP Psychology,” the College Board said Friday. “While district superintendents continue to seek additional clarity from the department, we note the clear guidance that, ‘AP Psychology may be taught in its entirety.'”
“We hope now that Florida teachers will be able to teach the full course, including content on gender and sexual orientation, without fear of punishment in the upcoming school year,” the company stated.
College Board previously stated that teaching AP Psychology with the gender and sexual orientation content removed was not possible, and any modified course would not count for college credits.
Many high school students take AP courses to avoid paying for expensive college courses in the future.
The conflict over the psychology course is an extension of a conflict between Florida and The College Board that began in January when Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) went after the AP African American Studies course.
The state passed a law declaring the course as lacking “educational value” and preventing it from being taught in the state.