Florida students lose another Advanced Placement option

The big story: Florida’s feud with the College Board has claimed another course.

After the state Department of Education told superintendents Thursday that high school psychology courses may not include lessons about gender identity and sexual orientation, the College Board announced it would not allow its Advanced Placement psychology course to be offered in Florida.

If that basic material is censored, the group said, Florida schools may not label their psych courses as AP or Advanced Placement, “and the ‘AP Psychology’ designation cannot be utilized on student transcripts.”

Some school districts are turning to the Cambridge AICE psychology course as an alternative.

The state previously said it would not allow the Advanced Placement African American studies course. Read more here.

Hot topics

Back to school: Students return to classes across the Tampa Bay region next week. Here are six things to watch as they head back.

Critical thinking: Speakers at a national convention of math professors, held in Tampa, warned that higher education is being demonized as it’s been dragged into the culture wars, and no field is immune.

Environmental education: The Everglades Foundation is training Miami-Dade County teachers to provide more lessons about Everglades literacy, the Miami Herald reports.

Library books: Florida school media specialists have spent time reviewing library collections as they aim to continue business as usual when students return, TC Palm reports. • The Clay County school district has removed 22 of 45 books challenged as obscene by a local conservative activist, Clay Today reports. “Arthur’s Birthday” was not one of them, but Stephen King’s “It” was.

New schools: The Hillsborough County school district broke ground on a new high school in Wimauma, WFTS reports. It is slated to open in 2025.

Security: The Lee County school district is using a new weapon detection system at 16 of its campuses, with a goal of using it in all schools by the end of 2024, WINK reports.

Superintendents: Florida’s superintendent turnover continues into the new school year, with at least three districts reopening without permanent chief executives, WFTS reports.

Teacher vacancies: Volusia and Flagler counties are finding more success filling teacher jobs than a year ago, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.

Vouchers: A record number of Florida students are applying for private school vouchers. Jacksonville Today reviews the process to get one. • Some families are struggling to find schools where they can use their vouchers, WCJB reports. • Not all private schools accept vouchers. In Lee County, about two-thirds will take them, the Fort Myers News-Press reports. • The Palm Beach County school district anticipates about 8,400 students to use taxpayer funded vouchers, carrying about a $149 million cost to the district’s budget, the Palm Beach Post reports.

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From the court docket ... A Palm Beach County high school assistant principal accused of not reporting allegations of sexual assault said he did not believe the suspect, his son, committed any crime, WPTV reports.

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Before you go ... Dolly Parton’s rock album is being rolled out song by song. Have you heard her version of “We Are The Champions”?

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