Around the state: State and national teachers unions have urged an appeals court to side with a transgender Hillsborough County teacher who challenged a law requiring educators to use pronouns that align with their sex at birth. The Florida Education Association, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers last week filed a 47-page brief arguing that the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals should uphold a district judge’s decision that the law violated the First Amendment rights of teacher Katie Wood. Lawyers for the state went to the Atlanta-based appeals court in April, after Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a preliminary injunction that blocked enforcement of the 2023 law. The injunction did not apply statewide or to another plaintiff, AV Schwandes, a nonbinary teacher fired last year by Florida Virtual School, and the underlying lawsuit remains pending before Walker. A panel of the Atlanta-based federal appeals court is scheduled to hear arguments Sept. 24 in Birmingham, Ala., on the Wood injunction. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. News Service of Florida.
Retail associations are encouraging families to take advantage of the final week of Florida’s back-to-school sales holiday. Electronic devices are the most common back-to-school purchase, eyed by 69% of consumers. Florida Politics.
Treasure Coast: School districts are adopting stricter cellphone policies as they prepare for the new school year, aligning with a state law passed last year to limit phone-based distractions. Martin County rejected a plan to require students to store phones in pouches with magnetic locks, but district schools will confiscate visible digital devices, including phones, smart watches, and earbuds, and parents will have to schedule time to retrieve the devices. “I think from a (school) board perspective and a from a superintendent perspective, cell phones are a huge distraction in schools,” Superintendent Michael Maine said. CBS 12.
Orange: Courtney Rayam Hand will be serving as the founding vice president of corporate work study for Cristo Rey High School in Orlando. Hand served as faculty with the University of Central Florida’s Office of Experiential Learning, helping to bridge the gap between academics and real-world applications for students and employer partners. Cristo Rey is the only network of high schools in the country that integrate four years of rigorous college preparatory academics with four years of professional work experience through its corporate work study program. Comprised of 39 Catholic, college- and career-preparatory schools that today serve 12,000 students across 25 states and collectively claim 22,000 graduates, the Cristo Rey Network equips students from families of limited economic means with the knowledge, character, and skills to transform their lives. The school is scheduled to open in 2025. Cristo Rey Orlando High School.
Broward: School resource officers practice responding to active shooters as they prepare for a return to school. Sun-Sentinel.
Charlotte: Two Charlotte County schools recently inked deals to sell naming rights to their stadiums and athletic fields to businesses. Port Charlotte High School entered into an agreement with Port Charlotte auto dealership Harbor Nissan, which will have its name on the football stadium and baseball field. In a second deal, Freeland Moore Inc. doing business as Harbor Nissan, agreed to a three-year $30,000 contract with annual payments of $10,000 each to rename the school’s football field as Harbor Nissan Stadium. Lemon Bay High School entered into a five-year contract June 28 with A-D Mortgage Loan Specialist, doing business as Custom Mortgage Corp., that will pay the school $75,000 in $15,000 annual installments. Both contracts run through July 30, 2027. Gulfshore Business.
Santa Rosa: Two new Republican candidates – David Godwin, a teacher of 33-years and president of the Santa Rosa Professional Educators, and Brenda Stephens, a business owner and former educator– are vying to unseat incumbent Santa Rosa schools superintendent Karen Barber. Stephens held the position of treasurer for the Santa Rosa County Moms for Liberty chapter before stepping down to run for the superintendent position. Pensacola News Journal.
Colleges and universities: The University of North Florida has partnered with the National Institutes of Health and the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research to conduct a clinical trial by making toy cars that encourage kids with cerebral palsy to stand up. The goal is to find out what physical improvements the children will see as they spend more time standing up to operate the cars. The Florida Times-Union.
Daytona State College has named Jodi Long as its new vice president for academic affairs. Long is vice provost of academic innovation and strategy at Santa Fe College. Her final day there is Aug. 15, according to a Santa Fe news release. She succeeds Amy Locklear, who had previously been promoted to executive vice president/provost. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Indian River: Political majority on the School Board could be decided by the outcome of the District 5 School Board election between David Dyer and Kevin McDonald. McDonald, who was appointed to the School Board in April by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill the vacancy left by Brian Barefoot’s resignation, is the incumbent. Retired retail executive David Dyer wants to unseat McDonald, who, he says, has not been truly elected by voters. Dyer, who has led corporation giants such as Tommy Hilfiger Inc., Chico’s FAS and Lands’ End, points to his business experience and his volunteer experience with the nonprofit The Learning Alliance as reasons why he should be elected. TCPalm.
Flagler: Lauren Ramirez and Vincent Sullivan are vying for the District 5 seat on the Flagler County School Board. The seat is currently held by Cheryl Massaro who is not running for reelection. Ramirez, 40, is a former university teacher and the CEO of Salus Medical Training LLC. Sullivan, 33, has lived in Flagler County since 1999 and graduated from Matanzas High School. He is an attorney and business owner. The election is Aug. 20. The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Around the nation: A South Carolina school district and elementary school apologized on Monday for a now-deleted Facebook post that showed two employees dressed as U.S. Border Patrol agents as they stood in front of a red makeshift wall. Royall Elementary School in Florence, South Carolina received backlash online when shared a Facebook post on July 31 for its “Royall Cantina” event. While the majority of the employees appeared to be wearing sombreros and brightly colored clothing in an attempt to match the Latin American bar theme, two of them were photographed wearing gray shirts with “U.S. Border Patrol” printed on them. Panama City News Herald.
Miami-Dade: Miami-Dade County Public Schools launched a week of professional training for over 400 new teachers on Monday. Superintendent Jose L. Dotres described the day as “huge” for the district while discussing the significant step in addressing teacher shortages as new educators from elementary, middle and high schools were welcomed with applause and encouragement. School Board Chair Mari Tere Rojas shared the importance of passion and high expectations in teaching. “You will transform lives every day,” she said. “A good teacher must be passionate and hold high expectations for both students and themselves.” 10News.
