Schools of Hope. A Tallahassee judge has released a written decision explaining why he upheld Florida’s Schools of Hope law on all counts. News Service of Florida. Politico Florida.
School safety. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High students plan to join their peers nationwide in protests marking the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School mass shooting. Miami Herald. Tampa Bay Times. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Some districts won’t penalize students who participate in walkouts. WFSU. A statewide panel investigating the MSD shooting will convene for its first meeting in Parkland next week. Politico Florida. A Panhandle superintendent explains his district’s deliberations over post-Parkland security measures. Teachers in his district support the idea of arming school staff. Gradebook. Pay raises could be on the chopping block as districts look for ways to fund increased security. Palm Beach Post. Palm Beach County schools speed up long-planned facilities-hardening projects to assuage fearful parents. Sun-Sentinel. Pinellas schools could adopt a “Know the Signs” violence-prevention curriculum developed by Sandy Hook families. Tampa Bay Times. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune fields reader questions on school security.
Survivors honored. Time Magazine counts five Parkland students among its 100 Most Influential People in 2018. In an accompanying essay, Barack Obama calls the young people “heroes.” Miami Herald.
Charter schools. Legacy Charter School in Brevard County faced imminent closure for, among other things, not having certified teachers, not have appropriate curriculum materials and being in a state of financial emergency. Florida Today.
Hope Scholarships. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Naples, explains the new private school choice program for bullying victims. Hello SWFL.
Dual enrollment. Colleges worry about cost of changes intended to make their classes more accessible to students attending private high schools. News Service of Florida.
Constitution revisions. The K-12 education amendment has a name: Amendment 8. Gradebook.
Funding. The statewide teachers union demands more funding for schools, whether lawmakers reconvene for a special session to resolve gaming issues or not. Politico Florida. Florida Politics. Okaloosa County School Board members discuss asking voters for what they see as a much-needed sales tax hike to fund facilities. But they get the sense the community won’t support the idea. Northwest Florida Daily News.
Teacher pay. The Sarasota teachers union bombards school board members with emails objecting to a just-approved a pay plan that gives a bigger boost to school administrators than to classroom teachers. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
School construction. The Santa Rosa school district unveils a $37 million plan to build a new K-8 school. Pensacola News-Journal.
MSD students take the stage. Marjory Stoneman Douglas students will play at a jazz festival in Port Orange. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Incidents. Administrators inform parents an elementary-school student brought a pocket knife to school. Palm Beach Post. A drunk driver crashed into an elementary school playground fence. Tallahassee Democrat.
Student enrichment. A student at a Central Florida private school wins a screenwriting award at a Palm Beach film festival. Leesburg Daily Commercial.
Opinions on schools. Years ago, Barbara Bush, the matriarch of the Republican Party, visited a Liberty City charter school her son, Jeb helped start. She made a positive impression in the community. Barabara Howard, South Florida Times. The requirement to place an officer in every school is another unfunded mandate from Tallahassee. Mark Lane, Daytona Beach News-Journal.
