The College Board appears to be drawing a line in the sand, refusing a request by the Florida Department of Education (DOE) on Thursday to change “gender identity and sexual orientation” content in an Advanced Placement [AP] Psychology course.

(Video Credit: WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando)

Teachers have wondered exactly how the Advanced Placement Program would respond to Florida’s education law, according to a statement by the College Board. It went on to note that the Florida Department of Education Office of Articulation “recently requested” that they “audit and potentially modify AP courses relative to the new Florida laws that restrict classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity.”

“[College Board] will not modify our courses to accommodate restrictions on teaching essential, college-level topics. Doing so would break the fundamental promise of AP: colleges wouldn’t broadly accept that course for credit and that course wouldn’t prepare students for careers in the discipline,” the College Board responded to the DOE.

“The learning objective within AP Psychology that covers gender and sexual orientation has specifically been raised by some Florida districts relative to these recent regulations. That learning objective must remain a required topic, just as it has been in Florida for many years. As with all AP courses, required topics must be included for a course to be designated as AP,” the response continued.

At issue is Governor Ron DeSantis’ Parental Rights in Education law that was passed last year. It prevents classroom instruction on “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” in K-12th grade. Opponents of the law have mislabeled it the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and falsely contend that it bans discussions pertaining to being gay in Florida’s schools.

The Florida Department of Education Office of Articulation recently requested that we audit and potentially modify AP courses relative to the new Florida laws that restrict classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity. Read our response: https://t.co/f9G4hUNmuS pic.twitter.com/216UQeFJu2

— College Board (@CollegeBoard) June 16, 2023

According to Fox News, the American Psychological Association defended the content at issue, asserting that “topics of gender and sexual orientation are foundational for any college-level course in psychology.”

“We don’t know if the state of Florida will ban this course. To AP teachers in Florida, we are heartbroken by the possibility of Florida students being denied the opportunity to participate in this or any AP course,” a statement claimed. “To AP teachers everywhere, please know we will not modify any of the 40 AP courses—from art to history to science—in response to regulations that would censor college-level standards for credit, placement, and career readiness.”

The AP Psychology course that is being bandied about discusses “gender and sexual orientation” under unit 6, “Developmental Psychology.”

Fox News reported, “The Florida DOE sent College Board a letter on May 19th, instructing them to ‘immediately conduct a thorough review’ of all College Board courses, which includes the Advanced Placement and Pre-Advanced Placement courses, and then inform the Office of Articulation, by June 16, 2023.”

So College Board at some point modified AP courses to include “sexual identity,” but puts its foot down when it comes to modifying courses to comply with Florida law and parents’ wishes. Gotcha.

— Mary (@mpg25mary) June 16, 2023

The Florida DOE “implored” the College Board to review the courses due to possible subject matter that violates the State Board of Education rule and Florida law.

“The Department is developing an assurance document for the College Board to complete indicating that College Board courses are in compliance with State Board of Education rule and Florida law,” the letter states.

The College Board also addressed a previous controversy dealing with content in an AP African-American studies course.

“We have learned from our mistakes in the recent rollout of AP African American Studies and know that we must be clear from the outset where we stand,” the College Board declared.

Just don’t offer the courses. College Board has already lost SAT and all the prep that goes with it. Take away AP and bury them. Offer Advanced Studies instead.

— Eric Hellwig (@Coach_Hellwig) June 17, 2023

In January, the College Board announced that it intended to update an AP African American studies course because it had content that did not meet state standards. The course cut content dealing with Black Lives Matter, the queer experience, and other controversial issues that had prompted the Florida DOE to reject it from being taught in Florida schools.

“The College Board is responsible for ensuring that their submitted materials comply with Florida law. It is worth noting that College Board does not maintain a reliable position and is susceptible to outside influence by the mainstream media and political activists,” a spokesperson for the Florida DOE told Fox News Digital.

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