I'm a high school junior. Florida should stop playing politics with my school | Opinion

Giselle Matias
Updated ·2 min read
6

The Your Turn opinions are those of the writers and not necessarily those of The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board.

Could we please stop playing politics with public education?

First, the Florida Board of Education bans Advanced Placement Psychology because the course's unit on gender and sexuality ran afoul of state law. A day later, the board "clarified" its position and urged superintendents to offer the course in its entirety, after the College Board, which administers AP courses, said it would not recognize Florida's modified version of the course.

Our school district in Palm Beach County initially decided not to offer the course for fear that it would lead to teachers being arrested or losing their licenses. Then, one day before school started, school officials announced that the course would be offered. That's good news for students but what lessons are educators really teaching us?

Palm Beach County Schools Superintendent Michael J. Burke initially initially agreed to not offer AP Psychology before this week's decision to offer the course.
Palm Beach County Schools Superintendent Michael J. Burke initially initially agreed to not offer AP Psychology before this week's decision to offer the course.

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Florida changed for what seems like the worst on July 1, 2022, when HB 1557, the Parents Rights in Education bill, better known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, was signed into law. Its prohibition on discussions of gender identity and sexual orientation in the public school setting was devastating. It not only affected the LGBTQ+ community but everyone. HB 1557 was only supposed to affect kindergarten through 3rd grade but other bills extended that through grade 12.

HB 1557, along with the law that restricts classroom discussions about race and the more recent controversy over slavery, are not helping us. We are young and still learning how to survive. Instead of shielding us from content that will inevitably be brought to light, we need state educators to come up with regulations that will enhance our education, instead of harming it.

It is difficult to feel good when the people who are supposed to know better are putting politics above education. There are so many things the state should focus on instead, such as gun violence. Many students including me, are scared to even go to school — the one place we are supposed to feel safe.

Advanced Placement courses are extremely important to students. They help students get into competitive colleges and give them a head start in their chosen careers. We are the future of this country. Our education should not be diminished by those who prefer pushing a political agenda instead of quality education for Florida's students.

Giselle Matias is a junior at West Boca Raton Community High School.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida, DeSantis playing politics with AP Psychology undermines kids