Around the state: An unusual civil lawsuit settlement results in a Parkland school shooting survivor owning the gunman’s name, Duval’s interim superintendent releases a plan to protect students from abuse by teachers and other employees, Osceola’s and Seminole’s teachers unions reach tentative contract agreements with their school districts, Escambia’s superintendent and school board members ask a court to shield them from testifying in a lawsuit against them over a book removal, a consultant recommends that the Madison County School Board close several elementary schools because of declining enrollment and budget issues, and renovations at a Dixie County middle school means relocating all its students in the fall. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: One of the survivors of the 2018 Parkland school shooting now legally owns the name of the gunman as the result of an unusual civil lawsuit settlement. The gunman, Nikolas Cruz, who is in prison for life, signed over the rights to his name to Anthony Borges, who survived multiple gunshot wounds at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. That means Cruz cannot grant so much as an interview without written permission from Borges, who is now 21. “The idea now is to shut him out. He will not be the one who decides when or how the story gets told,” said Borges’ lawyer, Alex Arreaza. Sun Sentinel. Associated Press.
Hillsborough, Tampa Bay area: Enrollment is up at Tampa Bay area trade and technical schools as more high school graduates are looking for a way to get good jobs without going to college. “We’ve experienced a 4 percent growth over the recent economic boom, which is very, very good for us,” said Jakub Prokop, director of Pinellas Technical College’s Clearwater campus. Spectrum News 9. Members of the black Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, in Tampa for their annual conclave, are handing out books that have been banned from schools. “The men of Omega Psi Phi have found it very important that the history is not forgotten,” said member Rick Kinsey. “We think it’s so very important to take this on.” Spectrum News 9.
Duval: Interim superintendent Dana Kriznar said Thursday that the arrest of former Douglas Anderson School of the Arts teacher Jeffrey Clayton exposed “weaknesses in the district’s ability to achieve one of its primary goals” of student safety, and has released a plan to protect students. Among other things, it immediately removes teachers accused of certain offenses from contact with students, tightens the penalties against teachers who “fraternize” with students, and adds staff to expedite investigations of teachers accused of misconduct. WTLV. Jacksonville Today. WJXT. Florida Times-Union.
Lee: School board members have approved Superintendent Ken Savage’s recommendation to create and fill four regional superintendent jobs. Named to the positions were Charles Vilardi, the principal at Diplomat Elementary; Angela Nader, director of Early Childhood Learning Services; Cheryl Neely, executive director for middle schools; and Cherise Trent, Tice Elementary principal. WINK.
Osceola, Seminole: Teachers unions in Osceola and Seminole counties have reached tentative contract agreements with their school districts. Osceola’s teachers would get pay raises of 3 percent for the 2024-2025 school year, and some will get an extra $1,000 bonus depending in their evaluations. Raises for Seminole teachers would range from $1,250 to $2,150, with more experienced educators receiving bonuses of up to $2,300. Teachers from both districts said they felt pressure to settle early after the state was accused unions of delaying agreements last year. Orlando Sentinel. Osceola school officials are partnering with a company that is developing technology for school buses that will use sensors outside the bus to detect nearby pedestrians and alert the driver. “It’s intended to enhance student safety and personally I think it has some real potential,” said the district’s transportation director, Randy Wheeler. WKMG. WESH.
Volusia: District 2 school board candidates Cassandra Gonyer, Krista Goodrich and Angela Kopnicky talk about why they’re running for the seat, their qualifications and what they hope to accomplish if elected. The primary is Aug. 20; if no one gets a majority of the votes, the top two advance to the general election Nov. 5. The winner will replace Anita Burnette, who is not running for re-election. Daytona Beach News-Journal. School board members have approved posting the revised student code of conduct, which includes changes in safety and security. adds random screenings in schools and details rules for the use of artificial intelligence. The document must be available for public review for 28 days before it can get the final approval of the board. Daytona Beach News-Journal. WOFL.
Sarasota: A science teacher at Venice High School was arrested this week and accused of having an inappropriate romantic relationship with one of his biology students. Deputies said Jakob Riddick, 23, began the relationship toward the end of the 2022-2023 school year. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Charlotte Sun.
Escambia: School board members and Superintendent Keith Leonard are asking a federal court to exempt them from testifying in lawsuits about their decisions to remove or restrict access to books in school libraries, arguing they should be shielded by legislative privilege. Two authors and a student sued the district after the book And Tango Makes Three was removed, alleging that doing so violated their First Amendment rights. The book tells the story of two male penguins raising a chick in a zoo. News Service of Florida.
Leon: Democratic school superintendent candidates Rocky Hanna, the incumbent, and Star Swain, the elementary school principal at Florida A&M University’s Developmental Research School, discussed their qualifications and issues facing the school district at a candidate forum Thursday. The primary is Aug. 20, and the winner advances to the Nov. 5 election to meet Joe Burgess. Tallahassee Democrat.
Flagler: A Belle Terre Elementary School teacher who was fired two years ago for appearing with her 6th-grade students in a TikTok video dancing to a Lizzo tune that contained a four-letter word has reached a settlement with the state and will retain her teaching license. Abbey Cooke and the Education Practices Commission agreed that she will be on two years of probation, be fined $750 and be required to complete an ethics in education class. Cooke, who is now working in the insurance industry, hopes to resume teaching. Flagler Live.
Madison: A consultant hired to evaluate the financial future of the school district in light of declining enrollment has presented his report to the school board. James Brown of PSTB Consulting is recommending that the school district close Greenville, Lee and Pinetta elementary schools and transfer those students to the Madison County Central School, send 7th- and 8th-graders from Madison Central to Madison County High, eliminate staff positions at those schools to align with enrollment, and cut administrative staff to save nearly $2.3 million, beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. Superintendent Shirley Joseph said she’ll evaluate the data and make a recommendation. Greene Publishing.
Dixie: Roof and HVAC renovations at Ruth Rains Middle School will push its students to other schools this fall, the district has announced. Fifth-graders will stay at the school they were in last year, 6th-graders will go to Anderson Elementary, and 7th-graders will join 8th-graders in the middle school wing at Dixie County High. WCJB.
Colleges and universities: Students in Florida A&M University’s law, nursing, pharmacy and physical therapy all had below the school’s goal pass rates on their board exams in 2023. Alan Levine, a member of the Board of Governors, responded with a warning. “I’m prepared to vote to take these programs away if we can’t do it the right way,” he said Thursday. “This is a disservice to those students and to the taxpayers who are paying for this, and the result they are getting is they can’t pass their boards to go practice what they went to school for.” Florida Phoenix. Florida Gulf Coast University could lose millions of dollars in funding from the state after falling below the state’s performance ratings threshold required to receive the money. Politico Florida. The University of Florida faculty senate has voted in favor of adding two majors for the Hamilton Center starting in August 2025: Philosophy, Politics, Economics and Law, and Great Books and Ideas. Tampa Bay Times. Florida’s $116.5 billion budget includes millions for Florida State University, FAMU and Tallahassee Community College. Here’s a look at the $170 million-plus the schools will receive, and how it will be spent. Tallahassee Democrat.
New laws, as of Monday: More than 175 laws will go into effect Monday. Here’s the full list and links to descriptions of each. WFLA. Miami Herald.
No nicknames on ballot: Florida officials said this week that they’re cracking down on some candidates’ wishes to include their nicknames on ballots. Brad McVay, deputy secretary of state for legal affairs and election integrity at the Florida Department of State, told elections supervisors that some nicknames were misleading “and also clearly sloganeering” and would not be allowed. Among those not making the cut were Hillsborough school board candidates Henry “Shake” Washington, Johnny “Principal” Bush and Lynn “Teacher” Gray. Tampa Bay Times.
New FLVS courses: Twelve new courses are being offered by the Florida Virtual School for the 2024-2025 academic year. Among them are Advanced Placement classes and others on artificial intelligence, world languages, music and art, and math and finance. Florida Virtual School.
Around the nation: School choice is just one of the many factors that are driving the decline in public school enrollment in the United States, according to researchers. But whatever the reasons, “many school districts need to realize that it looks like the students they lost are not coming back anytime soon,” says Thomas Dee, an economist and professor of education at Stanford University. Education Week. The Biden administration is considering its next steps on student debt relief after two courts ruled this week that it can’t reduce monthly payments or cancel more debt as planned in July. Politico. The former Uvalde, Texas, police chief and one of his officers have been indicted on felony child endangerment charges for their response to a 2022 mass shooting at an elementary school. Nineteen children and two teachers were killed in the attack. Associated Press. Scripps News Service. Oklahoma’s state superintendent has ordered all public schools to teach the Bible in grades 5-12. Associated Press.
Opinions on schools: University of Florida President Ben Sasse has been given the opportunity to pioneer ways in which state flagship universities can drive dramatic improvement in public education — ways that could and should be emulated in every red state in America if they work. Max Eden, Washington Examiner.
