Around the state: A job fair will be held in Okaloosa, lobsters were donated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for research by schools in the Keys and a doctoral student at Florida State University started a company to help solve a research problem. Here are details about those stories and other developments from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: Schools Superintendent Peter Licata has taken the helm of the school district here after the Board approved a three-year contract. Licata’s philosophy is student-centered, teacher-supported and principal-led. Licata, a Broward native who has been a longtime educator, recently took on the role of the country’s sixth-largest school district. “We are a very good district. There are some things that people want to talk about way too long about the past,” Licata said. CBS Miami. WPLG. A Broward County Sheriff’s Office deputy named Christopher Krickovich who was arrested in 2019 and later fired after being accused of slamming a high school student’s head into pavement during an arrest is being allowed to return to work with full back pay. WSVN.
Palm Beach: Whether students will be able to check out the Bible at Palm Beach County school libraries will be decided next week when school board members weigh in on a local rabbi’s challenge should succeed. Civil rights advocate Barry Silver filed an objection in April to the Bible’s availability at Olympic Heights High School in Boca Raton, where his son was a senior. Silver attached a petition for its removal that was signed by about 50 people, arguing that a Charles Darwin book should replace the Bible on school shelves. The Palm Beach Post.
Okaloosa: The school district here will host a job fair on July 25 for positions that include bus drivers, substitute teachers, food service workers and other jobs. NWF Daily News.
Levy: The school board here recently announced its policy for serving meals to students under the School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program for the upcoming school year. The good news: All students will be served free breakfast and lunch at particular sites. Levy Citizen.
House Bill 1: The Florida Department of Education seeks input on House Bill 1, signed earlier this year by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Under HB 1, all students in Florida are now eligible for taxpayer-financed vouchers for up to $8,500 to attend private schools. Suggestions can be submitted until Aug. 15, and will be taken into account when policy recommendations are introduced during the 2024 legislative session. NWF Daily News.
Lobster donation: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lobster biologists came up with an educational solution to a unique issue: What to do with dozens of spiny lobsters caught in the waters of the Florida Keys that are used for research by the FWC. To solve the problem, the FWC partnered with local Keys high schools to support lobster research and high school science and culinary courses. Lobsters went to Key West High School and Marathon High School, and were used by both marine science and culinary classes. “The kids really learned a lot,” said science teacher Shannon Duffy. “It was amazing. It was a really cool experience for them. The kids were so into it, because it was hands-on.” Keys News.
Karate competition: Local teen Kyandra Valle was chosen to join the AAU/USA Karate National Team, which is made up of 125 people from across the country. They are competing in the 11th WUKF World Karate Championships in Scotland this week. Valle has been practicing karate since she was 6 years old. ABC Action News.
Reading report: In the past five years, 30 states around the country have passed laws that require educators to teach young children how to read based on what educators know from science about effective literacy instruction. The most recent scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that only a third of fourth graders are proficient readers, which is significantly less than before the pandemic. The 74th.
University and college news: Elena Brandt, a doctoral student at Florida State University, has always been shocked at the behavioral science research she sees conducted by American scientists due to the lack of diversity among participants in international experiments and surveys. So, she decided to do something about it by founding Besample, a research firm that provides researchers a quick and cost-efficient way to access diverse research respondents in 42 countries around the world. Brandt is a mother of three who moved to the U.S. six years ago. Tallahassee Democrat.
