UPDATE - Unfortunately, this post was partly correct. While it seems that Florida capitulated, so much uncertainty was created that schools are canceling AP Psychology classes.
Chalk the following up as another embarrassment for FL Gov Ron DeSantis as his "war on woke" seems to be slowly but surely wrecking his presidential campaign.
From MSNBC:
Florida and the College Board appear to have come to a resolution over the inclusion of LGBTQ topics in the state’s Advanced Placement Psychology classes. The resolve came a day after the education nonprofit said the state "effectively banned" the course due to its content on sexual orientation and gender identity. In a letter shared with school superintendents Friday, Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said the department "is not discouraging districts from teaching AP Psychology."
"In fact, the Department 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," Diaz wrote. In a statement shared with NBC News on Monday, the College Board — which administers the SAT and college-level classes to high school students — responded to the Florida Department of Education's new guidance with a mix of hope and skepticism.
. . . In its Thursday statement, the College Board said the Florida Department of Education had "effectively banned AP Psychology in the state by instructing Florida superintendents that teaching foundational content on sexual orientation and gender identity is illegal under state law." Florida’s Parental Rights in Education act, or what critics have dubbed the "Don’t Say Gay" law, restricts the instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity in the state’s classrooms.
When contacted by NBC News on Thursday, the department denied that it had banned the course, though it did not answer questions on whether it tried to restrict the course's LGBTQ content. Florida's so-called Don't Say Gay law was signed last year by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who is running for president.
LGBTQNation called it a 'humiliating defeat' for DeSantis and it couldn't have happened at a worse time. For all of his talking about a reset of his presidential campaign, he is still struggling far behind GOP front runner Donald Trump (even after Trump's recent indictments).
Also, several deep pocketed donors seem to be backing away from his campaign with their reason being DeSantis's over-reliance on his 'culture war.' According to Reuters:
Hotel entrepreneur Robert Bigelow, the biggest individual donor to a group supporting Ron DeSantis' presidential bid, told Reuters on Friday he will not donate more money unless the Florida governor attracts new major donors and adopts a more moderate approach.
The comments by Bigelow, who gave $20 million to the pro-DeSantis "Never Back Down" super PAC in March, underscore donor concerns about the Florida governor's struggling campaign, which has been unable to make a dent in former President Donald Trump's huge lead for the 2024 Republican nomination.
Donors aren't the only ones turning their backs on DeSantis. Recently, several former GOP governors and lawmakers publicly said that his attack on Disney (a key component in his 'war on woke') is “severely damaging to the political, social, and economic fabric of the State."
And all the while, some folks are saying that his "arrogance" is the reason for many of his missteps.
