Education

Experts warn more AP courses could be banned in Florida

Central Florida Public Media | By Danielle Prieur

Published August 10, 2023 at 2:37 PM EDT

FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2014 file photo, students Julian Lopez, second left, Ben Montalbano, second right and James Agostino, right, listen during their Advanced Placement (AP) Physics class at Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington. A new policy from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends delaying classes for all teens until at least 8:30 a.m. to curb their widespread lack of sleep, which has been linked with poor health, bad grades, car crashes and other problems. The policy was published online Monday, Aug. 25, 2014, in Pediatrics. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File) — FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2014 file photo, students Julian Lopez, second left, Ben Montalbano, second right and James Agostino, right, listen during their Advanced Placement (AP) Physics class at Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington.

Experts are worried about the disruption that changes to Florida educational policy might be causing as a new school year begins.
An AP psychology class was briefly banned in Floridalast week, before it was reinstated.

In a letter late Friday night, Department of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said AP psychology can now be taught “in its entirety."

But Rollins College education professor Jenni Sanguiliano Lonski said she’s worried other courses could be on the chopping block thanks to the state’s Parental Rights in Education law.

“I think that there's going to be some concerns over AP Literature, AP Lang, how AP U.S. History is going to be taught simply because of materials used in those courses," Lonski said.

She said changes before the start of a school year can make it hard for kids to get the college credits they need.

“Since this isn't a core course, this shouldn't impact anyone's graduation, but it does add a lot of stress particularly in senior year — you have this class you're ready to take, you have a schedule already created and now everything has to be shuffled.”

AP African American History has been banned outright in Florida, and for a few days last week, AP psych was also"effectively" banned in the state over its themes of gender identity and sexuality.

Florida's Parental Rights in Education, or "Don't Say Gay" law prohibits teachers from discussing gender identity and sexuality in grades K-12 in most cases.

Many school districts in Florida are starting school this week and will be juggling new African American history standards, restrictions on preferred pronouns, and policies that make it easier to ban books.

The reversal on AP psychology comes as Lake County Schools announced it will reinstate the book And Tango Makes Three to school libraries. The book tells the story of two male penguins who adopt a baby penguin.The book's author and parents in the district sued the district to return the book to school shelves.