In a letter to school district superintendents across Florida, Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr., said that AP Psychology would be allowed to be taught in state schools "in its entirety." He did not, though, explain how that was possible under current state law.

Earlier in the week, the College Board, which oversees AP courses, advised school districts not to offer the class, because it included discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity, which has been banned in grades K-12 in Florida.

Diaz's letter was unequivocal in its insistence that "the Department (of Education) 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."

"I am sending this letter to you today, out of an abundance of caution, due to the statement on AP Psychology released from College Board on August 3, 2023," he wrote. "College Board has suggested that it might withhold the 'AP' designation from this course in Florida, ultimately hurting Florida students ... I want to be clear, AP Psychology is and will remain in the course code directory making it available to Florida students."

Diaz's letter did not, though, explain how it would be possible to teach a course containing extensive discussion about sexual orientation and gender identity, when it is illegal for teachers to discuss sexual orientation and gender identity with students in all but an extremely limited set of circumstances.

During a March 23 press conference, Diaz pointed out that the Florida Board of Education specifically extended the ban on discussion of those topics to include high school.

"This rule basically says that we're sticking to the standards and when you're talking about K-12 instruction, all the way through 12th grade, these standards don't incorporate gender ideology or any of these theories in math, social studies, reading or anything else," he said. "We preserve the health standards, and that makes it clear for teachers what it is. There were a lot of questions about age appropriate and this clarifies it for everyone."

District officials in numerous Florida counties have already announced their decisions to remove AP Psychology from schools' course offerings. Brevard County Schools made its announcement Friday, saying: "It has become clear that offering the Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology Course to our students this school year could be detrimental to our students, and our instructors."

"There is content in the AP Psychology curriculum required by the College Board, that violates recently enacted state legislation," the statement said. "The College Board has indicated that if our instructors do not teach all of the content in the course, including the section that violates state law, they will not certify the course. It will not count as an AP course."

District officials explained that there was no way to adequately teach AP Psychology in Florida under the current laws, which is why they decided it would not be offered in the 2023-24 school year.

"In essence, if we don't teach all of the content, our students will not receive AP credit," the statement said. "If we do teach all of the content, our instructors will violate the law."

According to the College Board, more than 28,000 Florida students took AP Psychology during the 2022-23 school year, making it one of the most popular AP courses in the state.

In response to Diaz's letter, the College Board released the following statement:

Today’s statement from the Florida Department of Education represents revised guidance on AP Psychology. 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.