A Florida teachers' union says DeSantis is using an 'extremist agenda' to 'censor' AP Psychology after the College Board said the course was 'effectively banned' through the state's 'Don't Say Gay' law

• The College Board said that its AP Psych course is "effectively banned" under Florida state law.
• A Florida law bans talk of sexuality and gender in school — key topics in AP Psych. 
• Florida's teachers' union slammed DeSantis, saying his "extremist agenda" is stoking fear. 

A Florida teachers' union says Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration is using an "extremist agenda" to "censor" AP Psychology after the College Board said the course was "effectively banned" through the state's parental rights law critics have called "Don't Say Gay."

"Gov. DeSantis continues to use every possible tactic to stoke fears among parents, with the goal of dividing and distracting us," Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association — the largest labor union in the Southeast representing over 150,000 education workers, according to its website — said in a statement to Insider.

The College Board, the nonprofit group that manages AP coursework at high schools across the US, said in a statement Thursday that the Florida Department of Education has "effectively banned AP Psychology in the state" by telling superintendents that it is illegal for courses to discuss sexual orientation and gender identity.

The College Board said that its AP Psych course asks students to "describe how sex and gender influence socialization and other aspects of development" — topics it said have been part of the curriculum for 30 years.

But, under DeSantis' law, teachers are prohibited from discussing gender identity and sexual orientation in school.

The College Board said in its statement that Florida told school districts that they can only teach the course if they remove "any mention of these essential topics." The board said in its statement that it refuses to modify or censor its college-level standards. 

In response to the College Board's announcement, Spar said DeSantis "and his handpicked bureaucrats are interfering in the right of parents to decide what is best for their children."

"This attempt to censor the AP Psychology course is just one more example of the governor's extremist agenda," Spar said. "The big takeaway here is that our students are losing out for the sake of one man's political ambitions."

A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Education said that the course wasn't banned, telling Insider that it remains listed in the course code directory for the 2023-24 school year.

"We encourage the College Board to stop playing games with Florida students and continue to offer the course and allow teachers to operate accordingly," the spokesperson said. "The other advanced course providers (including the International Baccalaureate program) had no issue providing the college credit psychology course."

The department did not immediately respond to Insider's request for clarification on if the law prohibits the course from including a curriculum on gender and sexuality.

The College Board said in its statement that any AP Psychology course taught in Florida "will violate either Florida law" by including essential topics related to gender and sexuality, or violate "college requirements" by not including such topics.

Colin Sharkey, the executive director of another teachers' group, the Association of American Educators, told Insider that, "unclear language" and "inaccurate interpretation" of the law "creates a chilling effect on educators that may go well beyond the intent of the lawmakers and disrupt the learning environment."