The public school districts of Miami-Dade and Broward counties announced Wednesday they will be offering AP Psychology to students amid a dustup between Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration and the College Board.
Confusion over the College Board’s Advanced Placement psychology course is rooted in a controversial Florida law and a state regulation that restrict instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.
The state Department of Education reportedly told school superintendents in a conference call that schools were not allowed to teach a unit in the psychology course dealing with “gender and sexual orientation,” which led the College Board last week to issue a statement saying the state restrictions would prohibit teaching the course.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
But after news reports that the course couldn't be taught in Florida, state Education Commissioner Manny Diaz fired back at the College Board. In a memo Friday, Diaz told superintendents that the course could be taught “in its entirety in a manner that is age and developmentally appropriate.”
A number of districts have dropped the psychology course and replaced it with other college-credit classes. Some are moving ahead with the AP course, which 28,000 Florida students took last year, according to the College Board. And other districts are struggling to decide what to do.
In Broward County, classes resume on Aug. 21. On Wednesday, district officials said they would require parental consent for students to take the course.
“Recognizing the depth and breadth of topics covered in AP Psychology and in line with the importance of prioritizing student well-being and parental choice, we have decided to make enrollment for this elective an ‘opt-in’ process that expressly requires parental consent,” said Superintendent Peter Licata said in a statement. About 2,500 students took the AP Psychology course last year, the district said.
In Miami-Dade County, Superintendent Jose Dotres said in a letter Wednesday the district will continue to offer the course to students in its entirety, citing Diaz's Friday memo.
