Just days before school started, Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, along with the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) created laws restricting learning curriculums throughout Florida. This change prevents students from learning about controversial topics such as sexuality and gender identity, which resulted in the removal of the AP Psychology course from the Florida curriculum. Amongst these laws, the school board limited the use of cell phones and other devices on campus, such as earbuds and smartwatches, to increase students’ focus within the classroom.
While some believe the banning of AP Psychology was unnecessary as the FLDOE only banned the topic of gender and sexual orientation. College Board released their Statement on AP Psychology and Florida on August 3, 2023, explaining their decision; “To be clear, any AP Psychology course taught in Florida will violate either Florida law or college requirements. Therefore, we advise Florida districts not to offer AP Psychology until Florida reverses their decision and allows parents and students to choose to take the full course.”
The Blue and White had the opportunity to interview teachers and students about their feelings toward banning controversial topics to gain a wider perspective on people’s opinions.
Mr Whitcomb stated, “There is no rush to push these more controversial topics into your educational plan because there is plenty of other stuff you can learn that everyone agrees is appropriate. The main thing is we’re still talking about children, and with that case, there is no reason to bring in the controversial stuff when you will have plenty of time in your life to go deeper into that.” Mr. Houvouras had opposing ideas. “By removing certain AP classes or making it difficult to teach certain AP classes, students’ transcripts are not as competitive as kids who are from states where the governor is not an idiot and censoring what they learn. So, it hurts kids on a competitive level nationwide when they are trying to get into these top schools.” Nathan Mitchell, a senior at Apopka High School who completed the AP Psychology course, spoke out, “As somebody who took AP Psychology two years ago, my sophomore year, I think that it is detrimental to the education of students. It is an AP course, which means it is designed for college-ready students. I think that banning it because of sexuality and gender is altogether ridiculous, especially since I have experienced and taken the course and this topic only takes up about 10 minutes of class time.”
AP Psychology is not the only subject being affected by these legislations as many literature teachers and media specialists are facing complications with providing students with novels as the consequence of giving out a “banned” book is life-threatening. Breaking this law is considered a third-degree felony and can result in up to five years in jail and a $5,000 fine. Apopka High School Media Specialist Mrs. Willard shared her views, “I think people need to understand the amount of stress that is being put on media specialists. We have been told we can go to jail for letting students check out the wrong book. I am 99.9% sure that none of us mean to do any harm and we are so afraid of doing the wrong thing that we live in terror at this point. It is insane.” Ms. McAfee, an Apopka High School English teacher, discussed her thoughts on this mandate, “There are a lot of novels that have somewhat controversial topics to them, but that is what makes them good novels and it is not all about how things are presented. We are letting a minority determine what everybody is allowed to do.”
As the school year progresses, teachers work to keep their students engaged and focused in class despite these constraints by limiting the use of cell phones and headphones. This has raised many concerns regarding students safety due to the presence of 504 plans, which allow students to wear headphones to improve focus, and the need for a communication device due to the potential gun violence. “I have had issues with safety when it gets too loud or overstimulating in the past.” Bug, a junior at Apopka High School explained, “Most of the staff are pretty accommodating, but if the district comes back and says, ‘No, you have to take them away,’ it could impact my safety.” Senior Giahni Germain expressed her concerns by explaining how schools “are not very clear when it comes to communication with the parents,” especially considering the amount of mass shootings that have occurred this past year.
Considering these educational policies are fairly new to Florida, it is too early to predict how much they will affect students and educators throughout the school year. As we continue to deal with the impacts of these changes, The Blue and White will keep the school community informed.
