Around the state: A group of transgender and nonbinary people are suing the state over a new law requiring people to use bathrooms and changing rooms in schools and other public places that conform to their gender at birth, New College threatens to sue a group of former students and teachers who are planning an “alternate” online school, New College trustees are expected to name interim Richard Corcoran as president at Tuesday’s meeting, students are still learning in portable classrooms two years after a Broward middle school roof collapsed, Orange County schools are making plans to cut down the percentage of students who have been chronically absent, progress has been reported in contract talks between Hillsborough school officials and the teachers union, and Flagler’s superintendent is reviewing the Bible after a complaint was filed against its content. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: Two years after a roof collapsed at Rickards Middle School in Oakland Park, repairs have not yet started and its students are still learning in portable classrooms. Last week, school board members were told the work that was scheduled for completion in 2024 has now been pushed to 2025 because there’s been a delay in getting engineering permits. The cost of the project has also swollen from $72 million to $92 million. Sun-Sentinel. Security has been stepped up at Sagemont Preparatory School in Weston since Gov. Ron DeSantis accused it of having “direct ties” to the Chinese Communist Party and “connections (that) constitute an imminent threat to the health, safety and welfare” of students and the public. Sun-Sentinel. Geyler Castro, the principal of the Somerset Parkland Academy charter school, is being reinstated about a year after being reassigned when two guns and ammunition were discovered in boxes that were carried from her car into the school. She pleaded no contest to the gun charges and served three months of probation. Parkland Talk.
Hillsborough: District officials and the teachers union resume contract negotiations today after making progress toward an agreement late last week. The two sides were about $50 million apart a month ago, $17 million early Thursday and are now separated by just $5.7 million. Starting pay for most teachers would be boosted to $47,500 or $48,000, and a ceiling of $72,000 or slightly more would be put in place for teachers with 25 years of experience. Tampa Bay Times. WUSF. School board chair Nadia Combs has drawn two challengers for her District 1 seat in the 2024 election: Layla Collins, the wife of state Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa, and Julie Magill. Combs and colleague Jessica Vaughn are the two county school board members targeted by Gov. DeSantis to be unseated. Tampa Bay Times.
Orange: Chronic absenteeism spiked in the school district during the pandemic and yet to diminish, district officials acknowledged last week. Twenty-seven percent of the district’s students missed at least 21 days during the 2021-2022 school year, according to records, compared with the state average of 21 percent. The problem was especially severe in high schools, where 38 percent were chronically absent. District officials are tackling the problem with more frequent monitoring and by reaching out personally to families of those students. “Families have got to know that we care, families have got to know that we support them, and families have got to know that their kids have got to be in school,” said district administrator Greg Moody. WFTV. A former teacher at Water Spring Middle School in Winter Garden was arrested Friday and accused of possessing obscene material. Police said Ryan Hamil, 22, admitted buying child sex abuse material “via the dark web” and taking pictures of children during a cruise and of children in his care at the YMCA Family Center in Winter Garden. He was fired Aug. 25 after the district learned he was under investigation. WKMG. WESH. WOFL.
Palm Beach: Two new schools opened at the start of this school year, and another four are on the schedule to open by 2030. The boom is spurred by new home construction and the enrollment growth it brings. The first is an elementary school in the west Acreage area scheduled to open in the fall of 2025. That will be followed in 2027 by another elementary school in Palm Beach Gardens, in 2028 with a high school near west-county communities, and a K-8 school in Delray Beach in 2030. Palm Beach Post. Eight Hispanic educators talk about how they got into the classoom, how their heritage influences their approach to teaching, and their goals for their students. Nearly 40 percent of all district students are Hispanic, and 15 percent of the district’s more than 12,000 teachers are bilingual. Palm Beach Post.
Duval: Forty students at the YMCA Tiger Academy charter school in Jacksonville were presented with bound copies of their stories written during an after-school program, the Young Writers Workshop, founded and directed by Banks Vadeboncoeur, a 16-year-old junior at Ponte Vedra High School. Volunteers help the elementary school writers develop a plot, write and illustrate the stories. “It’s just the excitement and the joy you see in their eyes when they get something that belongs to them, something they probably would not have done at another time,” said Amy Blake, senior program director for the charter school’s after-school program. “It’s a priceless experience for them.” Vadeboncoeur called the program rewarding. “It’s just seeing the passion and curiosity they have for learning. You forget how much kids just want to be seen, and how much they want to grow.” Florida Times-Union.
Leon: A preK-8 religious school in Tallahassee is partnering with an independent and assisted living facility to have students interact with residents every month in arts, crafts, music and fellowship. “Not only are our students being impacted and affected by the experience, but also the residents,” said Peter Klekamp, director of the Holy Comforter Episcopal School, about the relationship with Westminster Oaks. “What was most heartfelt to me was, after they performed, our kids were going and shaking their hands and interacting with the residents, without being asked to.” Tallahassee Democrat.
Alachua: District officials have put proposed school rezoning maps on their website and are asking residents for feedback to the changes, starting today. Public meetings about the new boundaries are scheduled today, Thursday, Oct. 10, 12 and 17, Nov. 14 and Dec. 5. WCJB.
Hernando: A pilot program to encourage inclusion and “connectedness” of all students has been started at Hernando Central High School. The Hope Squad consists of 24 students who are trained to counsel and educate classmates as a way to deter suicide. When a member of the Hope Squad identifies a student who needs further intervention, he or she is referred to a HOPE advisor or guidance counselor in school or counseling and crisis intervention lines at home. Hernando Sun.
Flagler: Superintendent LaShakia Moore is conducting a review of the Bible after it was challenged by a Palm Coast resident who says the book contains 67 passages that are sexually explicit, sadistic, graphically violent and bigoted, and violates the state’s prohibition of such materials for students. Most of the passages are in the Old Testament and the Book of Revelation in the New. Flagler Live.
Colleges and universities: New College of Florida is threatening legal action against some ex-students and campus leaders if they follow through on their intention to start an online learning platform called Alt New College “to support the academic freedom of faculty and students following the hostile takeover of New College of Florida.” In a cease-and-desist letter, New College said the group infringes on the school’s trademark and is demanding it remove any mention of the school on its website and surrender the domain name and social media tag. The group has until Oct. 6 to comply or further legal action could be taken. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Florida Politics. Associated Press. New College trustees will name a new president at a meeting Tuesday, and it’s widely expected it will be interim Richard Corcoran. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Broward College trustees are expected to select an interim president Tuesday. Among the candidates expected to be considered are provost Jeffrey Nasse and former administrator Henry Mack III, who was a finalist for the presidency at Florida Gulf Coast University. President Gregory Haile resigned Sept. 13. Sun-Sentinel. University of North Florida officials have reached an agreement with faculty over post-tenure review that includes new procedures and assurances from President Moez Limayem that the reviews will not be used to “target” or “purge” faculty. Jacksonville Today. Three Florida universities are among the top 10 in the nation in enrollment, according to BestColleges. The University of Central Florida is second with 68,000 undergraduate and graduate students, Florida International University is seventh with 55,687, and the University of Florida is eighth with 55,430. No. 1 is Texas A&M with 74,829 graduate and undergraduate students. Palm Beach Post.
Suit filed on bathroom law: Six transgender and nonbinary people are suing the state over a new law requiring people to use bathrooms and changing rooms in schools and other public places that conform to their gender at birth. The law is discriminatory and violates free speech rights, the group contends. News Service of Florida. Politico Florida.
In the Legislature: A bill filed for the legislative session that starts in January would provide in-state tuition for Floridians who are in state or federal prison. The law now says that prisoners who are behind bars for a year or more lose their in-state residency, making them ineligible for in-state tuition. It was filed by state Sen. Rosalind Osgood, D-Tamarac. Florida Politics.
Opinions on schools: Male students lag females in English language arts proficiency at the elementary and middle school levels by up to 10 percentage points — a gap that persists across racial and ethnic groups. Here’s what we can do about it. Paul J. Luna, Tampa Bay Times.
