More rules for new laws: Florida’s Board of Education will meet June 9 to discuss establishing rules for carrying out new education laws. One will spell out the guidelines for H.B. 1521, which says people can only use bathrooms in schools and other public places that align with their gender at birth. A notice of the workshop said the “purpose and effect” is to “align the rule with new legislative changes … that prohibit a district policy that allows separation for any criteria other than biological sex at birth.” Another will decide the rules for H.B. 1438, which prohibits children from attending “adult live performances,” specifically drag shows, which are defined as “any show, exhibition, or other presentation that is performed in front of a live audience and in whole or in part, depicts or simulates nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, specific sexual activities, … lewd conduct, or the lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts.” News Service of Florida.
One Florida speller in finals: Dev Shah, a 14-year-old 8th-grader at Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School in Pinellas County, is one of 11 students advancing to the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee tonight. On Wednesday, Shah correctly spelled exhortation in Round 4, Perioeci in Round 6, poliorcetics in Round 8, and answered a Round 5 question, “What does it mean to glower?” (to look or stare with sullen brooding annoyance or anger) and a Round 7 question, “Who would most likely practice legerdemain?” (a magician). The finals are being televised on the ION channel tonight from 8-10 p.m. Eliminated in Round 4 on Wednesday were Lizzy Beers from Lee County (misspelling baroreceptor), Luke Brown from Collier (tonette), Evander Turner from Lake (papilionaceous) and Bruhat Soma from Hillsborough (tonlet). Westin Martin of Duval (Molasse) and Juan Rondeau of Miami-Dade (bardane) both lost in Round 6. Scripps National Spelling Bee. The last Florida winner of the spelling bee was 12-year-old Wendy Guey of West Palm Beach in 1996. Palm Beach Post.
Around the state: The Florida Supreme Court is being asked to review the dismissal of a case against Florida Atlantic University for charging student fees when the campus was closed during the pandemic, a federal judge has ruled in favor of the Brevard school district and two teachers in a $100 million lawsuit brought by parents who claimed that the civil rights of their 7-year-old daughter with Down syndrome were violated when the teachers tied a mask to her face during the pandemic in 2021, four finalists are chosen for the Osceola County school superintendent’s job, St. Lucie County School Board members are considering whether to ask voters to approve increasing the sales tax by a half-cent to raise money for new schools, and jury selection begins in the trial of the Broward deputy who took cover instead of confronting the Parkland school shooter in 2018. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: A proposal to require all students to use clear backpacks and bags in the 2023-2024 school year will be the topic of a town hall meeting June 12 and a school board workshop June 20. A school board vote scheduled for Tuesday was delayed when a parent asked for a workshop meeting on the topic. Board members are expected to make a decision July 25. WPLG. Jason Zembuch-Young, artistic director of the South Plantation High School, is being honored with a special Tony Award this year for staging productions that are both spoken and performed in American Sign Language. Sun-Sentinel. Associated Press. Jury selection began Wednesday in the trial of a former Broward deputy who is accused of taking cover instead of confronting a gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018. Scot Peterson is charged with six counts of aggravated child neglect with great bodily injury. Prosecutors contend that if Peterson had acted by entering the 1200 building to confront shooter Nikolas Cruz, the lives of six students might have been saved. The number of potential jurors was cut from 300 to 55 who said they could hear the case, which is expected to last most of the summer. Sun-Sentinel. WPLG. CNN.
Lee: Posters made by students for a 5th-grade class project at Ray V. Pottorf Elementary School in Fort Myers have been removed after a school employee questioned the content. Students just completed a lesson on state standards on immigration and how some immigrants arrived in the United States. Some drew posters offering rewards for “runaway slaves.” Rob Spicker, district spokesman, said, “A staff member saw the posters and without the context of the lesson, standards, and curriculum raised concerns to school administrators about a few of them. The posters in question were immediately removed from the display.” WFTX. Eliza Odom, a 5th-grader at Diplomat Elementary School in Cape Coral, has been chosen as AAA’s 2022-2023 national school safety patroller of the year. WBBH.
Brevard: A federal judge has ruled in favor of the school district and two teachers in a $100 million lawsuit brought by parents who claimed that the civil rights of their 7-year-old daughter with Down syndrome were violated when the teachers tied a mask to her face when mask mandates were in place during the pandemic in 2021. A police investigation found no abuse or that the girl, named Sofia, was restrained or in distress, and that the method of securing the mask to her was recommended by a Down syndrome advocacy group. The judge ruled in favor of the defendants on 12 of 15 counts, and dismissed the other three without prejudice, which means they could be refiled. Florida Today.
Osceola: Four finalists have been chosen by school board members for the superintendent’s job that is opening with the retirement of Debra Pace after leading the district for seven years. They are: Michael Allen, current Osceola assistant superintendent of middle school curriculum who has been with the district 29 years; Terrence L. Connor, deputy superintendent and chief academic officer for Hillsborough County schools; Ann Hembrook, assistant superintendent for Marion County schools; and Mark Shanoff, chief information officer with Orange County schools and the former chief operating officer for Volusia schools. Interviews and public meetings are June 4 and 5. Positively Osceola. Osceola Gazette.
St. Lucie: School board members are discussing whether to ask voters to approve a half-cent sales tax referendum in 2024 to accommodate anticipated growth in enrollment. Two new schools are in the planning stages for the rapidly growing area of southwest Port St. Lucie. Also under discussion is turning at least one elementary school into a K-8 school. “The purpose of that is we’re in the middle of all this aggressive construction,” said Superintendent Jon Prince, “so, we can clearly communicate to our voters exactly what they’re helping us pay for.” WPTV.
Escambia: The mother who is suing the school district over its decision to remove books from school libraries said she is doing so not for her own children, who will continue to have access to books, but for others who won’t. “At the end of the day, my kids are going to get a healthy, comprehensive collection of — whether it be reading material, knowledge, or history — the good, the bad and the ugly of our country and our state. They’re hopefully going to get that at home … but so many kids aren’t,” said Lyndsay Durtschi. “Once I began to learn and think legally what this law was doing for those kids — I couldn’t be quiet anymore.” She is part of the lawsuit filed against the district by Pen America and publisher Penguin Random House, which contends the book bans are unconstitutional. Six books have been removed by the district, and 183 have been challenged. Pensacola News Journal.
Hernando: School board member Mark Johnson’s second attempt to issue a vote of no confidence in Superintendent John Strattion failed at a marathon school board meeting that began Tuesday but spilled over into Wednesday. Johnson and colleague Shannon Rodriguez voted yes, but Gus Guadagnino, Susan Duval and Linda Prescott voted no. The board did vote 5-0 to remove the book The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur from school system libraries. The complainant objected to the line drawings in the book, referring to them as pornographic, and wrote that the book is “erotic poetry.” The board also approved moving back the start time for D.S. Parrott Middle School from 9:10 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. next school year because of a shortage of school bus drivers. Tampa Bay Times. Suncoast News. Hernando Sun. Fort Myers News-Press. WUSF. WFTS.
Colleges and universities: The Florida Supreme Court is being asked to review the dismissal of a case against Florida Atlantic University for charging student fees when the campus was closed during the pandemic. The suit, brought by two students, contends FAU breached a contract and should refund the fees collected. That argument was rejected in April by the 4th District Court of Appeal, which said there was no “express, written contract.” News Service of Florida. The University of Central Florida will offer an undergraduate program in theme park and attraction management this fall. Classes will be held at the school’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management and online. WESH. Daytona State College will offer a new bachelor of science degree program in cardiopulmonary science this fall. About 100 students are expected to enroll. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
High school graduations: High schools around the state are holding graduation ceremonies. Here are reports and photos from some of them. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Graduating seniors at Ribault High School in Jacksonville walked across the stage to receive their diplomas Wednesday wearing gowns that correctly said “Class of 2023.” When the gowns arrived late last week, they had “Class of 2022” embroidered on them, and school officials weren’t sure the mistake could be fixed in time. WJXT. Demetria Coley, a 15-year-old student at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, earned both a high school diploma and an associate of arts degree from Tallahassee Community College at her graduation last week. Tallahassee Democrat.
Opinions on schools: Gov. Ron DeSantis’ statement that “there’s not been a single book banned in the state of Florida,” calling it a “hoax,” is false. His argument hinges on county school districts, and not the state, deciding which books to remove or restrict. But school districts are making book decisions to comply with state law, and removing dozens. PolitiFact Florida. Every single one of the last eight Broward superintendents arrived as a beacon of hope or a change agent, promising a turnaround. Every one left, most of them unhappily, with the job very much unfinished. And the perpetual search for a savior continues. Sun-Sentinel. Given the many challenges facing Florida’s students, teachers, school boards, the Florida Board of Education and state lawmakers, it’ll take far more than simply relying on test standards to improve public school graduation rates. Palm Beach Post. Education savings accounts are not vouchers, and the distinctions are important. With vouchers, or private school scholarships, parents can choose a new school for their child. With an ESA, the state deposits a portion of a child’s funding from the state education formula into a bank-style account once parents choose not to send their child to a public school. The parents can use the money to buy certain preapproved education products and services for their children. Jonathan Butcher and Mike Gonzalez, Houston Chronicle.
