Around the state: A revised Advanced Placement African American Studies course has been released by the College Board with some content considered objectionable by Florida officials being removed or made optional, pressure is mounting on Sarasota school board member Bridget Ziegler to resign, a Broward book review committee has cleared the Holy Bible to remain on school library bookshelves, eight more school library books are being challenged in Hernando County, a Seminole charter school’s board won’t face charges of violating the state’s Sunshine Law even though members conducted school business via group texts, Martin County schools are considering putting restrictions on cell phone use at schools, and Citrus schools name the district’s teacher of the year. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: A security guard at Miami Northwestern Senior High School has been arrested and accused of inappropriate conduct with two underage students. Police said Diajion Jones, 22, slapped one girl’s buttocks and asked another girl for sex. He’s been charged with battery and offenses against students by authority figures. WPLG. WSVN. WTVJ.
Broward: The superintendent’s book review committee voted unanimously Wednesday to keep the Holy Bible on school library bookshelves. Chaz Stevens, an atheist blogger and activist who challenged it, said, “That was completely expected.” He plans to challenge the decision, and said, “I’ll get my three minutes to quote chapter and verse” of the passages that he calls objectionable, such as depictions of rape and incest. Sun-Sentinel.
Palm Beach: An administrative law judge is recommending that Boca Raton Middle School teacher Victor Lopez be suspended instead of fired for putting a student in a chokehold and calling others nicknames such as “knucklehead,” “Shaniqua” and “Oompa Loompa” in class. Lopez was fired by the school board in September 2022 but appealed that decision. Administrative law Judge June McKinney, though, has recommended that Lopez be suspended without pay for 30 days, be placed on probation for a year and be required to take a class on professionalism. School Superintendent Michael Burke said he disagreed with many of McKinney’s findings and recommended the firing stand. School board members will decide whose recommendation to follow at the Dec. 13 board meeting. Palm Beach Post.
Brevard: The school board announced in October that it intends to expand the district’s school guardian program, but has yet to detail what form that expansion would take. There was a suggestion in October that teachers could be armed, but in a November meeting a dozen of so members of the community spoke out against the idea and school board chair Matt Susin denied that was ever considered. Superintendent Mark Rendell was asked to compile a report detailing how other districts used guardians. The board meets again Dec. 12, but it’s unknown if Rendell’s report will be finished or if the topic will be revisited. Florida Today.
Seminole: A charter school’s board members did not knowingly commit a crime last year when they sent out group text messages about school business to each other, prosecutors have decided. Parents who discovered the texts after the resignation of the Choices in Learning Elementary Charter School’s principal contended the messages were a violation of the state’s Sunshine Law, which requires government business to be conducted in public view. But prosecutors decided against pressing the matter because, they said, the texts showed members were ignorant of the law and even a noncriminal fine would have a “chilling effect” on the voluntary, unpaid board. The investigation and review should serve to “caution” the board “to strictly adhere to the requirements of Florida’s Sunshine Law in the future,” said Stacey Straub Salmons, chief assistant state attorney for Brevard and Seminole counties. Orlando Sentinel.
Sarasota: School board members meet Tuesday for the final time in 2024 amid increasing calls for Bridget Ziegler to resign. Ziegler and her husband Christian, the chair of the Florida Republican party, have acknowledged to police that they had a sexual relationship with a woman who is now accusing her husband of rape. He has denied the allegation, and Bridget Ziegler has yet to comment. Board member Tom Edwards has called on Ziegler to resign because he says she’s become too much of a distraction, and on Wednesday board chair Karen Rose joined him, saying she would present a resolution at Tuesday’s meeting asking Ziegler to step down. The other two board members, Tim Enos and Robyn Marinelli, have not commented. Wednesday, the nonprofit Leadership Institute confirmed that Ziegler resigned as vice president. The institute trains conservatives to run for school board seats. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Tampa Bay Times. WWSB. Florida Politics. WFLA.
Marion: Five finalists have been chosen for the school district’s teacher of the year award. They are Osceola Middle Spanish teacher Stephanie Prisciandaro, Maplewood Elementary School 4th-grade reading teacher Alysia Hoekstra, Horizon Academy at Marion Oaks drama teacher Timothy Mathews, North Marion High AICE history teacher Miranda Brogan, and Forest High geometry teacher Jennifer Brown. Also honored as the rookie teacher of the year was Carlie Schrimsher, a 1st-grade teacher at Greenway Elementary. Ocala Star-Banner.
Martin: School board members are considering what kind of restrictions they can place on the use of cell phones at schools. “We just want to make sure our policy aligns with what the state expects of us,” said Jennifer DeShazo, the district’s director of public information and community relations. No date for a board vote has been set. WPBF.
Hernando: Eight more school library books have been challenged for content by the local chapter of the conservative activist group Moms for Liberty. Members of the school book review committee are recommending that five of the books remain available, although some would be restricted by age. They are Drama, by Raina Telgemeier; The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas; Push, by Sapphire; Beloved, by Toni Morrison; and The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold. Books the committee is recommending for removal are A Court of Frost and Starlight, by Sarah J. Maas; The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison; and The Handmaid’s Tale: Graphic Novel, by Margaret Atwood and adapted by Renee Nault. The school board will decide on what to do about the books at its Dec. 12 meeting. Suncoast News.
Citrus: Denise Langdon, a 4th-grade teacher at Inverness Primary School, has been named the school district’s teacher of the year, and is now eligible for the statewide award. Kristy Reid of Forest Ridge Elementary School was also honored as the school-related employee of the year. Citrus County Chronicle.
Flagler: A history teacher at Matanzas High School has been arrested and accused of stealing nearly $3,200 of goods from Wal-mart over a six-month period from May 13 to Oct. 1. Deputies said Anthony Zaksewicz, 45, switched pricetags and skipped scanning items on self-checkout machines. Zaksewicz has taught history in the district for 17 years and last year won the Florida Council Social Studies Harry T. Moore Teaching for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Award that recognizes a teacher “who encourages an appreciation and respect for civil rights and civil liberties.” Flagler Live.
Colleges and universities: A report put together by the American Association of University Professors condemns Gov. Ron DeSantis’ higher education policies and urges “all professional organizations, unions, faculty, students, staff, administrators, and communities across the country to fight such ‘reforms’ tooth and nail and to offer support to colleagues and unions in Florida and beyond, however they can.” USA Today Florida Network. Two studies released this week by the Helios Education Foundation show that the bachelor’s degree completion rate is 40 percent higher at historically black colleges and universities in Florida than at mostly white schools, that the degrees from HBCUs add about $130,000 to the net value of students 35 years after they graduate, and that Florida’s HBCUs excel in graduating black students in STEM fields. “These findings point to a powerful narrative about black students pursuing higher education – that college is still worth it,” said Paul J. Luna, Helios Education president and CEO. Helios is urging the Legislature to increase state financial support, especially for privately funded HBCUs, so they can offer competitive financial aid packages and lower tuition costs. The Capitolist.
In the Legislature: Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, said Wednesday that the 60-day legislative session that begins Jan. 9 will work to limit children’s access to social media because of its “devastating effect on kids.” He gave no details on a proposal. “I want to hear from everybody on what that looks like,” Renner said. “You know, the idea that we can be libertarians where our kids are concerned? We’re not libertarians with our kids on anything. Adults are a different story. They wanted to do all that stuff. That’s their business. And it’s a free country. But for our kids, we’ve got to protect them.”
AP course changes: A revised Advanced Placement African American Studies course has been released by the College Board. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rejected the course earlier this year because he said it advanced a political agenda, such as slavery reparations, queer life and the Black Lives Matter movement. The black queer experience material has been removed, and Black Lives Matter and reparations content have been made optional. Still included in the course are references to black authors and scholars that were called inappropriate by Florida education officials, as well as intersectionality and race-related concepts that were rejected by DeSantis. The course will be available for the 2024-2025 school year. Associated Press. Miami Herald. USA Today. Education Week. Axios. Forbes. Politico. NPR.
Around the nation: U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, a Democrat representing the 10th district in central Florida, has introduced a bill in Congress that would provide funding for school districts to fight removal and restrictions on books. Funding of $15 million over five years would help cover book restriction-related expenses of up to $100,000 for each school district, Frost said. Florida Phoenix. NCAA President Charlie Baker is proposing the creation of a new tier of Division I sports whose members would be required to offer at least half their athletes $30,000 a year or more through a trust fund. Baker also suggests allowing all Division I schools to offer unlimited educational benefits and enter into name, image, and likeness licensing deals with athletes. Associated Press. The next round of the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness, announced Wednesday, will eliminate $4.8 billion in debt from 80,000 borrowers. Politico.
Opinions on schools: Research shows that inclusion is beneficial both to children with and without disabilities. For students with disabilities, this includes academic gains in literacy, math and social studies — both in grades and on standardized tests as well as better communication skills, and improved social skills and more friendships. Ilene Wilkins, Orlando Sentinel.
