Florida roundup: Lawsuits, testing, school choice and more

Lawsuits. The statewide teachers union, school boards association and other groups are preparing to announce the first direct constitutional challenge to Florida’s tax credit scholarship program. Times/Herald. Sentinel School Zone. redefinED. florida-roundup-logo

Testing. In clear violation of state law, the Lee County school board votes to “opt out” of all state standardized testing. Fort Myers News-PressNaples Daily News. Collier schools roll out new end of course exams. Naples Daily News.

School choice. A Palm Beach school board member pushes for more choice options within the district, but meets resistance. Palm Beach Post.

Charter schools. The Northwest Florida Daily News visits a new, collegiate-themed charter high school.

English Language Learners. Gov. Rick Scott criticizes federal accountability rules for students learning English at an event in Miami. Miami Herald. Gradebook. He appears ready to challenge the standards for federal accountability waivers. StateImpact.

Common Core. The standards were not the election driver some expected. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Prayer. The Orange County school district’s decision not to allow chaplains at football games draws heat from a local pastor. Orlando Sentinel.

Elections. Recounts are coming in Hillsborough and Palm Beach school board races. Palm Beach Post. Tampa Tribune. A winning Indian River candidate faces residency allegations. Indian River Press Journal.


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BY Travis Pillow

Travis Pillow is Director of Thought Leadership at Step Up For Students and editor of NextSteps. He lives in Sanford, Fla. with his wife and two children. A former Tallahassee statehouse reporter, he most recently worked at the Center on Reinventing Public Education, a research organization at Arizona State University, where he studied community-led learning innovation and school systems' responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. He can be reached at tpillow (at) sufs.org.