Florida has barred teaching Advanced Placement psychology as it stands, telling superintendents that sexual orientation and gender identity curriculum is “illegal under state law.”

The regulations stem from Gov. Ron Desantis's (R-FL) legislation, dubbed by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which originally outlawed classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, but DeSantis pushed to expand the restrictions to apply to all K-12 students. The Florida Board of Education approved the 2022 measure in April this year.

DONALD TRUMP INDICTED: TIMELINE OF 2020 ELECTION INVESTIGATIONS

The College Board, which controls the AP program, condemned the news from the Florida Department of Education coming days before the start of the school year, claiming in a press statement the ban “derails the college readiness and affordability plans of tens of thousands of Florida students currently registered for AP Psychology, one of the most popular AP classes in the state."

The Department of Education blamed the untimely change on the College Board's refusal to modify its courses to meet the requirements under Florida’s law.

“Just one week before school starts, the College Board is attempting to force school districts to prevent students from taking the AP Psychology Course,” Cassie Palelis, deputy director of communications for the Department of Education, said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. 

The College Board said in June that it “will not modify our courses to accommodate restrictions on teaching essential, college-level topics.”

The AP status cannot be used on school transcripts if the school continues to offer the course without including all the required curricula from the board.

“If a school bans required topics from their AP courses, the AP Program removes the AP designation from that course and its inclusion in the AP Course Ledger provided to colleges and universities,” according to the AP website.

The Department of Education said other programs did not have a problem complying with Florida's law, including International Baccalaureate.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

“The department didn’t 'ban' the course,” Palelis said. “The course remains listed in Florida’s 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 Washington Examiner reached out to DeSantis’s team for comment.