Florida “effectively banned” Advanced Placement Psychology classes in the state due to the course’s content on sexual orientation and gender identity, the College Board said Thursday.
The state’s Department of Education informed the College Board that its AP Psychology class is in violation of state law, the higher education nonprofit said in a statement. Florida’s Parental Rights in Education act, or what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law, restricts the instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity in the state’s classrooms.
“The state’s ban of this content removes choice from parents and students,” the College Board said in a statement. “Coming just days from the start of school, it derails the college readiness and affordability plans of tens of thousands of Florida students currently registered for AP Psychology, one of the most popular AP classes in the state.“
The state’s decision to restrict the AP Psychology course comes several months after its controversial decision to block AP African American History, a decision widely condemned by academics and civil rights activists.
The College Board added that Florida will allow superintendents to offer the college-level psychology class for high schoolers if they exclude LGBTQ topics.
However, the College Board argued that excluding the lessons — which it describes as teachings on “how sex and gender influence socialization and other aspects of development” — “would censor college-level standards.”
It added that lessons regarding sexual orientation and gender identity have been included in AP Psychology since the course was created 30 years ago.
The group said that more than 28,000 Florida students took AP Psychology in the prior academic year.
The Florida Department of Education and the governor’s office did not immediately return requests for comment.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
