House passes transgender ban: Transgender females would be barred from playing girls sports in high schools and colleges under a bill passed Wednesday by the Florida House. The vote was 77-40 in favor of H.B. 1475, with every Republican voting for it and every Democrat except one voting against it. Supporters contend the bill is needed to “preserve the safety, integrity, fairness, and competitiveness of women’s sports.” Critics said the proposal is about LGBTQ rights and discrimination, not sports. The vote comes two days after the NCAA announced that any state passing anti-transgender legislation risks losing championship sporting events. That drew angry responses from Rep. Chip LaMarca, R-Lighthouse Point, who said the NCAA is in no position to lecture the Legislature, and Rep. Chris Latvala, R-Clearwater, who said, “The NCAA is not the moral authority that some in this chamber have set them out to be. They simply do not treat women’s and men’s sports equally.” The Senate is expected to consider its version of the bill next week. News Service of Florida. Associated Press. Politico Florida. Orlando Sentinel. Sun Sentinel. Tampa Bay Times. Florida Politics. Florida Phoenix.
Also in the Legislature: The House has approved a bill that would restrict the use of seclusion and restraints on students with disabilities. Florida Politics. Nov. 7 could become an annual “Victims of Communism Day” in the state after the House unanimously approved a bill that would require high schools to provide at least 45 minutes of instruction every year about the experiences of communism victims. The bill now goes to the Senate. Florida Politics. The House has approved a proposal that would shield the name and personal information of applicants for college and university president’s jobs from the public for 21 days. Critics said it allows presidential searches without oversight, while supporters said it protects potential applicants from retribution in their current job. The Senate will now consider the bill. News Service of Florida. Politico Florida. Florida Politics. Two bills (H.B. 1505 and 1507) intended to smooth the path of students from the classroom to the workplace were approved in the House. Florida Politics. WTSP.
No mandatory masks: School districts should not require students and staff to wear masks at school next year, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran wrote in a letter to districts Wednesday. Corcoran said a Department of Education data review did not find a correlation between mask mandates and the number of coronavirus cases in schools, and that wearing a mask should become optional. “The data shows us that districts’ face covering policies do not impact the spread of the virus,” Corcoran wrote. He called for policies that are more “surgical — not sweeping,” and said that mask mandates “serve no remaining good at this point in our schools.” His letter asks “districts which currently are implementing a mandated face covering policy (to) revise their policy to be voluntary for the 2021-22 school year.” Miami Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Orlando Sentinel. WFTS. WKMG.
Around the state: Report cards are going online only in Broward County schools, a Duval report shows that students learning in schools got better grades than those learning remotely, Sarasota High School students protest against the “sexist” school dress code after the principal orders a crackdown on violations, the Brevard and St. Lucie school districts are the latest to announce an end to their district virtual learning option in anticipation of all students returning to classrooms, and Lee County schools report a spike in coronavirus cases in the two weeks following spring break. Here are details about those stories and other developments from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: Physical report cards will not be handed out this year, school officials announced Wednesday. Instead, parents have to sign in to the district’s “virtual counselor” to see their children’s grades. The announcement read: “Hello @browardschools community. There will be no physical report cards issued this year. Starting today, April 14, parents and students may access report cards through virtual counselor. Make sure to log on and check the progress. https://t.co/e7okb5Asvf. pic.twitter.com/nKfzqBgS60.” Parents who want a physical copy can print it through the online system or request to pick one up from the school. Miami Herald.
Tampa Bay area: Hillsborough County school officials have canceled International Baccalaureate exams because they don’t think the tests can be given safely. Instead, the district will take the “calculation route” that awards IB diplomas to students based on their grades and internal exams. Orange County is joining Hillsborough in taking the “calculation route,” but Hillsborough is the only district in west-central Florida that has decided to cancel the exams so far. WTSP.
Duval: A review of letter grades awarded to county students so far this school year shows that children learning in-person are doing better than those learning remotely. Forty percent of the grades given to students who are in school have been A, compared to 35 percent to remote-learners, and in-person students got 24 percent of the B grades handed out, compared to 21 percent for virtual learners. Remote learners got more grades of C (20 percent to 19 percent), D (11-9) and F (13-8). Corey Wright, the assistant superintendent of accountability & assessment, said the disparity could be a result of “virtual fatigue.” WJXT.
Lee: The number of coronavirus cases reported in district schools has nearly doubled since spring break, according to Florida Department of Health data. In the two weeks before spring break, 146 cases were reported in the district. In the two weeks since, 290 have been confirmed. The increase coincides with the almost 8 percent increase in cases among children up to the age of 14, and 6.7 percent in 15- to 24-year-olds. Fort Myers News-Press.
Brevard: The district is joining others around the state in focusing on in-school learning next fall and reducing the number of online learning options for students. Teachers will no longer have to teach both in-person and remote learners simultaneously. “It has been a very challenging year for our educators,” said Superintendent Mark Mullins. “They have risen to the challenge and the call, and have done such an admirable job of managing that difficult situation. But we know that our students are served best when they’re with us in person in our schools.” Students can still learn remotely through the Brevard Virtual School or the Florida Virtual School, which offer flexible classes but don’t follow the daily classroom schedules of schools. More than 16,000 district students are learning remotely. Florida Today.
Manatee: New principals have been named for Manatee and Braden River high schools, and Anna Maria, Ballard, Bashaw, Manatee, Prine and Sea Breeze elementaries, district officials announced Wednesday. All start July 1. Also announced were the retirements of longtime administrators Jackie Featherston, Lynn Menard and Mike McCann. Bradenton Herald. WWSB.
Collier: District and school administrators are working with student leaders to plan senior celebration events since proms and other traditional graduation year events are not taking place. “None of our high schools will promote senior celebration events as ‘prom’ because that would imply dancing and the option to invite a guest from other grades or schools, both of which will not be a part of these senior celebrations,” said district spokesman Chad Oliver. The events will take place later this month and in May, and coronavirus safety protocols will be observed. At least one, Immokalee High, has announced that it will hold a field day with games, music, a catered lunch, a photo booth and a dunk tank. Naples Daily News.
St. Johns: Three rezoning options have been prepared for the school board to consider to place students in a new high school that opens in the fall of 2022. High School III, in the northwest part of the county, has been built to hold 2,100 students and ease overcrowding at Bartram Trail and Nease high schools. School board members will consider the rezoning options in May, and also select a name for the school. St. Augustine Record.
Sarasota: A crackdown this week on Sarasota High School students whose clothing choices don’t comply with the student dress code has sparked a protest calling for the code to be abolished. A petition states: “Girls are sometimes told that their clothing is too distracting and boys can’t pay attention. However, this kind of language is sexist and many anti-dress code advocates point out that it sends a message to the male student body that they are not solely responsible for their actions.” Sarasota High School principal David Jones acknowledged that girls tend to have more issues with the code than boys. “It tends, unfortunately, that this is more of a female issue instead of a guys’ issue,” he said. “I hate it because that gets interpreted as a sexist thing.” Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
St. Lucie: The district’s MySchoolOnline learning program will be discontinued at the end of the school year, Superintendent Wayne Gent told the school board this week, saying he was “looking forward to welcoming all our students back to the building next year.” About 70 percent are in classrooms now, he said. Students will still have the option of learning remotely through the Mosaic Digital Academy, which was offered before the pandemic. “The decision was made because we wanted to give parents plenty of time to consider their options for next school year,” said school spokeswoman Lydia Martin. “We know the best environment for our children is face-to-face (and) in the classroom.” TCPalm. WPTV.
Clay: In-person high school graduation ceremonies will be held May 28 at each school’s stadium. Each graduating senior will get four tickets for guests, and the ceremonies will be livestreamed. WJXT.
Leon: School bus drivers have donated more than 7,100 feminine hygiene products to a Rickards High School student’s project to address “period poverty” among middle and high school students. Employees in the district’s transportation department donated more than $1,600 to buy the products. Tallahassee Democrat.
Alachua: Students 16 and over will soon be able to get a Pfizer vaccination shot at their schools. Health officials will hold clinics three to four weeks apart so students can get both shots. About 5,000 students are eligible, and getting the shot is optional. “Right now we don’t have any plans to require (COVID-19) vaccines for students to attend school,” said district spokeswoman Jackie Johnson. Gainesville Sun.
Bay: The school district is receiving $16.3 million in reimbursements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help pay for damages caused by Hurricane Michael in 2018. The money will repay the district for its spending on temporary day-care centers, repairs, inspections, security and mold and water remediation. FEMA has now approved $85.3 million for the district, though not all of it has been received yet. Panama City News Herald.
Hernando: The district is running out of space for students, according to enrollment projections, and is exploring ways to add seats without spending tens of millions of dollars it doesn’t have. Among the options are finding spaces in schools that aren’t being used as classrooms but could be or adding precast concrete buildings. Suncoast News.
Indian River: School board members agreed unanimously to keep the mandatory face mask policy in place while Superintendent David Moore considers plans to safely make mask-wearing in schools optional and ways to minimize the number of students required to quarantine because of exposure to someone with the virus. TCPalm.
Charlotte: A Lemon Bay High School student has been arrested and charged with starting a fire in a boys bathroom Tuesday. The school was evacuated when thick smoke blanketed classroom hallways, but no one was injured. The boy faces a charge of arson, as well as disciplinary action by the school. Charlotte Sun.
Citrus: Attendance at school events such as graduations, sports, assemblies and performances can now be 75 percent of capacity. The limit was raised from 50 percent by the school board this week. Face masks and social distancing will still be required. Citrus County Chronicle.
Colleges and universities: Anti-Semitism was the topic of the day in a meeting Wednesday between University of North Florida students and school officials. The meeting was set up after a student posted QR codes around the campus that led to anti-Semitic and white supremacist propaganda online. Florida Times-Union.
Education podcasts: Education advocate and Brightstream CEO Chris Stewart talks about school choice with Matthew Ladner, the executive editor of redefinED. redefinED.
Opinions on schools: Florida and Arizona have shown other states how to make strong gains in overall academic achievement as well as with low-income, minorities and special needs students. Matthew Ladner, Newsweek. Ideological witch hunts of faculty are a tremendous disservice to students and a direct assault on the principle of academic freedom, the foundation of a worthwhile education. Fabiola Santiago, Miami Herald. The Legislature’s proposal to protect “intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity” at the state’s universities and colleges promotes quackery, not diversity. Sun Sentinel. The coronavirus pandemic has permanently changed education in America, in some ways for the good and in others, not so good. Marcella Bombardieri, Politico. It’s understandable that Duval school officials desire a formalized process for school renamings, but in hindsight it’s clear this fight over Confederate names has gone on too long. This isn’t a matter of semantics or aesthetic taste. This is about simple decency. Nate Monroe, Florida Times-Union.
