SAN ANTONIO \u2013 A letter sent to Northside Independent School District parents is raising questions about how Texas Senate Bill 12 could impact students in Advanced Placement courses.<\/p>\n
The letter says the law \u201cplaces limits on certain topics that may be taught during the school day\u201d and that \u201csome subject matter that is included on the College Board AP exams cannot be directly addressed in classroom instruction.\u201d It also says parents can request supplemental resources by email for their children to study outside of school.<\/p>\n
Dana Fox, whose high school student is enrolled in AP Human Geography, said the letter was concerning.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was concerning, my high school student\u2019s AP courses telling us that they weren\u2019t going to be able to teach all of the subjects in the AP courses this year due to SB 12,\u201d Fox said.<\/p>\n
Fox shared the letter on social media where thousands of parents echoed similar concerns.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got this too for three of my son\u2019s AP classes,\u201d one person commented. \u201cTexas is intentionally killing education.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another person commented under Fox\u2019s video, \u201cAs a mom of a child taking AP classes in Texas, I am livid!\u201d<\/p>\n
The letter directed parents to contact their child\u2019s teacher if parents wanted to request additional information that cannot be taught in the classroom.<\/p>\n
Fox said the letter was the first indication that the law could affect the curriculum at the student\u2019s school.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, I couldn\u2019t believe it when I first saw it,\u201d Fox said. \u201cWe pay tax money to have teachers teach the things that they are good at and that they\u2019re knowledgeable on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fox said parents may not have the time, energy or expertise to teach the material at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole point of taking the AP courses with the more rigorous curriculum and all of those things is to get the college credit at the end,\u201d Fox said. \u201cIf you\u2019re not learning all of the information that\u2019s going to be on the test, it lowers chances to be able to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Northside ISD spokesperson told KSAT the letter was sent \u201cout of an abundance of caution.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSince then, we have clarified with College Board that we are fully compliant with state law while preserving the instructional integrity of the AP Program,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cWe have full confidence that AP students in NISD are receiving the instruction and support they need to succeed on their AP exams.\u201d<\/p>\n
Senate Bill 12 includes restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. One part of the legislation says a school district, open-enrollment charter school or employee may not provide or allow instruction, guidance, activities or programming regarding sexual orientation or gender identity to students in prekindergarten through 12th grade.<\/p>\n
College Board said it is not aware of any AP courses approved in Texas that do not comply with Senate Bill 12. The organization said it is following up directly with districts when they have questions about AP courses.<\/p>\n
\u201cAP exams test students on topics across the course\u2019s framework,\u201d a College Board spokesperson said. \u201cIn AP Psychology, Texas schools and educators have maximum flexibility to cover Topic 3.3 (gender and sexual orientation) as they see fit and in compliance with state law.\u201d<\/p>\n
The College Board said Topic 3.3 has been part of the course for decades and does not include required terms, definitions or concepts. The organization said AP Psychology does not specify instruction or activities related to gender or sexuality, and that those terms or definitions do not appear on the AP Psychology exam.<\/p>\n
However, in Florida, a similar but more restricted law led to College Board sharing a press release<\/a> about the AP Psychology preparation and exam in Florida.<\/p>\n College Board\u2019s statement regarding the change in Florida reads in part, \u201cthe AP course asks students to \u2018describe how sex and gender influence socialization and other aspects of development. … Any course that censors required course content cannot be labeled \u2018AP\u2019 or \u2018Advanced Placement,\u2019 and the \u2018AP Psychology\u2019 designation cannot be utilized on student transcripts.\u201d<\/p>\n