Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is threatening to remove all AP classes and College Board tests, such as the SAT, from school systems across Florida.  If DeSantis chooses to follow through with the threat, the removal of such courses may have drastic implications for school rankings, student college acceptances, and censorship in the classroom, ultimately putting all of Florida’s education system at risk.

   Already, schools across Florida have witnessed the effects of DeSantis’ classroom decisions. Banned books, cleared out libraries, and restrictions on AP classes have an effect on school systems, and some argue that his threats and actions are clear and down-right suppression, while others campaign for stricter rules and advocate for the very restrictions that others hate. Junior Emily Brown expressed her own opinions on the matter, stating, “I don’t know much about the topic, but what I can say is that no matter what DeSantis or anyone else thinks about College Board, they have so much control over college admissions with the SAT and college level classes that it makes it almost impossible to place any sort of restrictions on AP classes or College Board programs without affecting kids’ education.”

   An AP African American Studies course outline was presented by College Board to include in schools and be offered as a choice on course selections for high school students. The course draft was struck down by DeSantis under his argument that it was in relation to politics. He stated, “Education is about the pursuit of truth, not the imposition of ideology or the advancement of a political agenda.” After a revised draft was presented, the DeSantis administration declared that they were undecided on the matter; the topic will be discussed during the two-month legislative session that began on March 7, 2023. Legislative sessions meet every year for at least 60 days and the final decision on this issue is still unknown at this time. This is not the first time DeSantis has banned or restricted certain topics from school systems, referring back to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill which provoked widespread protests and calls for action among citizens and in schools. However, this act is different as it involves an international corporation, and is now, what journalists and researchers are calling, a full-on match between College Board and DeSantis. College Board’s decision to revise the original draft of the African American Studies course is under question: as in, is College Board’s decision to edit a clear cry for Republican support? 

How will this affect Florida schools in the future?

   Regardless of the decision to ban the course, the opinions on the matter, and the apparent fight between DeSantis and the College Board, there is a new concern for how these recent decisions will affect the Florida education system, questioning, will students be accredited the same?

   The answer remains to be seen, AP classes are regarded to be rigorous, challenging courses that cover college level topics and are considered to be highly distinguished, even counting towards a college credit. If, in fact, AP classes are fully removed from schools in Florida, Desantis stated that alternatives will be implemented instead. The proposed alternatives include International Baccalaureate, Cambridge, and dual enrollment. While all of the presented options have already been administered in some Florida schools, not all schools in the state, at the moment, offer such courses.

  What all of these courses including AP, however, have in common, is the revenue supplied by the state to take such exams at the end of the year. Payment for the AP test per student is above $90, plus an additional cost for AP teachers if their students receive a 3 or higher on AP exams, which is around $50 extra. Qualifying teachers to teach AP classes is another fee, and according to the Tampa Bay Times, about $4 million was spent on preparing teachers last year alone. If AP classes are no longer offered, the money would be distributed differently to reflect the new courses as needed. However, the question over the fight between College Board and Desantis pulls the money aspect into play: if AP is no longer offered in Florida schools, College Board loses money. A political power move by Desantis in response to College Board? Whoever the blame belongs to for antagonizing, the game is just beginning and is already taking off. 

   Although Senior Meghan Golightly won’t have the issue of deciding between AP classes next year, Golightly shared thoughts on the matter: “By not giving students access to AP classes, it sets Florida students back in college, especially ones going out of state. They now have to take those classes in college instead. This can cause them to miss out on lots of different opportunities including scholarships, as well as affect students’ GPAs and class standing. Overall, it’s just really harmful and sets all of Florida back.”

   AP classes allow students to receive a college credit for certain classes which has the ability to lower college costs, as senior Chelsea Ugwuozor pointed out, “AP classes allow students to get a college credit[s] and essentially save money in college.” Ugwuozor explained, “Removing these classes just makes college more expensive and unaffordable to so many students in the state. This just hurts everyone in the long run.” Ugwuozor’s point relates to Florida’s poverty levels as compared to other states. Although Florida is not within the top 10 most impoverished states in the United States, which is held by Mississippi, Florida’s poverty rate according to the U.S. census, 2020 5-year review, is considered to be high, with the poverty rate around 12.4%. While that is nowhere near the most poverty stricken state of Mississippi with a rate of 19.07%, Florida still ranks unmistakably high on the list striking the question of means of payment for college, hence the reason some students opt to complete AP credits early in high school. 

How do banned books affect the classroom?

   The ban on books does have larger ramifications than the simple action of removing books from classrooms. The very reason behind banning books carries the full weight of the impact, it exactly corresponds to Desantis’ argument of separation of politics and school, including the additional argument of indoctrination by way of reading. With such arguments and actions, libraries in schools across Florida were cleared out, removing any book deemed to be unacceptable.

How do banned books and AP classes relate to each other?
  While AP classes are not in direct relation to banned books, the underlying effects do relate to each other in terms of the decision for what can and cannot be taught in Florida schools. Moreover, critical race theory, although not previously taught in schools, has been completely banned from the curriculum, the banned books list also covers topics related to the LGBTQ community, and maturational growth as a whole. So how do these restricted genres correspond with banning books and restricting AP classes? AP classes are notorious for covering diverse topics that appeal to hard-hitting questions and require meticulous and thorough consideration. If there is a ban on the critical race theory curriculum, for example, there is a domino effect for banning the corresponding books, thus reverberating on the AP class syllabus: college-level books that cover such topics will be affected as well. It is a full circle effect that ultimately comes back to the restriction of AP classes. Whether the Desantis/College Board fight was a factor or not, the banned books alone would prohibit the full extent of learning in some AP classes. 

   Whether or not you agree with the decision to ban books in classrooms and restrict AP classes is besides the point. The fact of the matter is that Florida classrooms are expecting change in the near future, a future where AP classes won’t be in the curriculum in Florida. Banned books and restricted classes will no doubt have an impact on the Florida education system.