Around the state: Lee Superintendent Christopher Bernier is resigning effective today, many students around the state got an eye’s-on science lesson during Monday’s solar eclipse, Duval school officials say their deal with the county bus system to provide rides for students has been a success, the cost of attending and living on the University of Miami campus next fall will exceed $93,000, and Sarasota schools’ new truancy court gives students a chance to reverse their chronic absenteeism. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: An 18-year-old was arrested and accused of destroying computers, printers and an interactive learning smartboard when he and several others broke into Shenandoah Middle School in Miami over the weekend. Bryant Mayorga is charged with criminal mischief over $1,000, unoccupied burglary, possession of cannabis, luring or enticing a child and obstructing a fire prevention device. WPLG. An informational technology worker at the Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes has been arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious molestation on a child between 13 and 17 years old and offenses against students by authority figures. District officials said they have started the firing process against Martin Zaretsky, 50. WSVN.
Orange: School district employees made more than 34,000 calls Monday to parents of students who were not in school for first period. It was the first day for a new policy requiring the district to promptly notify parents whose children aren’t in school at the start of the day. When a student is absent more than half a day, parents also will receive a second call at the end of the school day. WFTV.
Duval: More than 210,000 students have gotten rides to and from schools since the district’s My Ride to School partnership with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority began two years ago. More than a third of those rides were during the 2023 calendar year. Jacksonville Today. A 13-year-old student at Lake Shore Middle School in Jacksonville died over the weekend after being struck by a vehicle Wednesday as he walked to school. Kameron Turner was hit when he and his 14-year-old brother tried to cross a busy street but did not use the crosswalk. The 60-year-old driver stopped and has cooperated with deputies during the investigation. WJXT. The Atlantic Beach City Commission has thrown its support behind parents’ effort to keep the city’s elementary school from closing. School officials are considering closing 10 or more schools to save money, and Atlantic Beach Elementary is on a list compiled by a consultant. WJXT.
Pinellas: Bill Dudley, a teacher and coach at Northeast High School in St. Petersburg for 37 years and a former member of the school board, died Monday after a stroke. He was 80. Tampa Bay Times. Florida Politics.
Lee: School Superintendent Christopher Bernier is resigning affective today, according to a separation agreement approved by the school board Monday. Bernier will receive 20 weeks of severance pay. Veteran district administrator Kevin Savage, who served as interim superintendent before Bernier’s appointment in 2022, will again step in to lead the district. That same year, voters later decided to elect superintendents instead of having the school board appoint them, and Bernier announced he would not be a candidate. So far, two candidates have filed to run this fall: Morgan Wright and Denise Carlin. Fort Myers News-Press. WGCU. WBBH. WINK. WFTX.
Volusia: A former science teacher at Father Lopez Catholic High School in Daytona Beach was arrested last month and accused of inappropriately touching a student in 2022. Noah Cabiac, 42, is charged with an offense against student by an authority figure. A spokesperson for the Archdioecse of Orlando said Cabiac was fired May 10, 2023. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Manatee: A $40 million renovation of Blackburn Elementary School in Palmetto is just of many projects on the school district’s docket. Five new schools will open in the next three years, including a K-8 grade school in the eastern part of the county, a middle school in the northern part of the county, two elementary schools and a high school as the district tries to keep up with enrollment growth. “There are just so many needs that you have to keep up with in a district with 50 schools,” said Superintendent Jason Wysong. WTVT.
Sarasota: The school district’s truancy court has been in session since February, and is the final stop in the district’s fight to get a handle on excessive school absenteeism. The process begins at the school level with more counselors and a full-time school psychologist at each high school, said Stephanie Vlahakis, student services program manager who oversees truancy court. Each school also has an attendance team of social workers, psychologists, counselors and administrators who work directly with students and their families to get to class. If all else fails, students end up in Judge Andrea McHugh’s court, where she tells them, “The purpose of this court is a problem-solving court — it is to solve that problem, rather than to implement any punishment. But it is something to be taken seriously.” WUSF.
St. Lucie: A teacher at West Gate K-8 School in Port St. Lucie was killed over the weekend in a traffic accident in Polk County. Joamar (Josie) Maldonado, 52, taught English to students who speak another language. Also killed were her partner, 54-year-old Luis Rodriguez, and 22-year-old Hannah Wieser, who was trying to pass a van but struck the couple’s truck head-on. The couple’s 3-year-old grandson survived the crash and is expected to recover. Grief counselors are available at the school for students and staff. WPTV.
Leon: The number of firearms confiscated at schools has dropped from 10 last year to 1 so far this year, and the total number of weapons seized has fallen from 64 last year to less then 40. New security programs started last fall include metal detectors, gun-detecting AI software in high school security cameras, an extra resource officer in all high schools, an anonymous alert app and a weapon sniffing dog. “Just adding these programs to our schools lets students know, don’t bring a weapon to school, because we will catch you with it,” said security director Jimmy Williams. Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee city commissioners will consider a proposal this week to place speed detection cameras in school zones. A recent traffic study showed “that more than 100 vehicles exceeded the posted speed by at least 10 miles per hour at each of the 29 school locations included in the ordinance.” If the ordinance is approved, violators will receive $100 citations in the mail. Tallahassee Democrat.
Okaloosa: District high school graduations will be held May 16, 17, 23 and 24, school officials announced Monday. All will be held on school campuses and will be livestreamed. Okaloosa County School District.
Monroe: Shirley Van Meter Freeman, a school administrator for 20 years and a former county commissioner, died April 6 in her Key West home at the age of 89. Key West Citizen.
Colleges and universities: Attending the University of Miami and living on campus will cost more than $93,000 next year, according to the school’s estimate cost of attendance. That’s 6 percent than last year. Tuition alone will be $60,718, an increase of $2,614. “The demand for a University of Miami education remains at record highs, with more than 48,000 applications received this year,” school officials said in a statement. WLRN. Florida State University is partnering with Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare to develop an academic health center in Tallahassee and a medical campus in Panama City Beach. News Service of Florida. WTXL. Transgender athletes are barred from prohibiting in women’s sports, the governing body of 241 small-college sports announced Monday. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ ban begins in August. USA Today.
Around the nation: President Joe Biden announced his intention Monday to cancel some or all federal student loan debt for another 30 million borrowers. A formal plan will be issued in the fall. Associated Press. For the third year in a row, Gender Queer, a memoir by Maia Kobabe about coming out as nonbinary, is the most banned book in America, according to the American Library Association. Seven of the top 10 most challenged books have LGBTQ+ themes. NBC News.
Opinions on schools: Helping families taking the plunge into permissionless education navigate myriad opportunities represents a crucial next step for the choice movement. A new matching service for educators and students has the potential to enormously benefit both. Matthew Ladner, NextSteps. What about addressing the homeless students problem by creating publicly funded boarding schools? Parents would have the choice to enroll their children at no cost. The kids would have stability to learn academic skills, eat nourishing meals, as well as learn life skills for resolving conflicts without violence. Sally Butzin, Tallahassee Democrat.
