Around the state: Former University of Florida president Ben Sasse’s severance package allows him to keep his $1 million-a-year salary through 2028 or until he finds another job, maintenance issues at five Broward schools send some students and employees to hospitals for treatment, Jewish student enrollment in Florida jumps 58 percent in the past 15 years, Duval’s school district announces it has a new form to report employee misconduct, and a change in the Alachua County School Board could reopen the board’s decision to hire Shane Andrew as superintendent. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: Maintenance issues at five schools on Monday forced evacuations and health scares that sent some students and employees to hospitals for treatment. For a second straight day, high levels of carbon monoxide caused the evacuation of the cafeteria at Cypress Bay High School in Weston, prompting school officials to consider placing detectors in every district school. There was also a propane gas leak at Oriole Elementary in Lauderdale Lakes, a fire alarm that triggered the shutdown of the air-conditioning at Cooper City High, an air-conditioning failure at Sunrise Middle in Fort Lauderdale that led to early dismissal, and an air-conditioning leak at Coral Glades High. Superintendent Howard Hepburn insisted the troubles were not a sign of poor maintenance. “We have a lot of aging facilities and we have some issues that are just normal,” he said. Sun Sentinel. WPLG. WFOR. Miami Herald. WSVN. WFOR. The ban on students’ use of cell phones in schools went into effect Monday. A two-week grace period had been offered to give students time to adjust to the new district policy. WPLG.
Palm Beach: Law enforcement presence at Whispering Pines Elementary School in Boca Raton was increased Monday “out of an abundance of caution” after a person made “deeply offensive” comments that principal Barbara Riemer said “caused distress” to the school community. The individual has been issued a no-trespass order from district police. WPTV. WPEC.
Duval: A new employee misconduct report form was unveiled Monday for students and their parents. “Know the Line” will “ensure students and families know to recognize and report any behavior that might cross those healthy boundaries that should exist between students and employees,” said Superintendent Christopher Bernier. WJXT.
Pasco: A 16-year-old motorcyclist was seriously hurt when he slammed into the back of a school bus Monday afternoon. None of the 42 students on the bus, nor the driver, was injured. Tampa Bay Times.
Brevard: Two students at Palm Bay High School in Melbourne were hospitalized Monday after a fight in which one student was stabbed in the abdomen with a pair of scissors and another was cut on his hand. Both are in stable condition, and one of the boys is in police custody. Florida Today. WKMG. WOFL. WFTV. WESH. Spectrum News 13.
Escambia: A Christian school is proposing to build a second campus in west Pensacola. Life Shifting Learning Academy would enroll about 50 students, and no more than 12 per class. There would be no cafeteria or playground; food will be catered and students will go to nearby playgrounds for recess. The county’s Development Review Committee is reviewing the proposal Wednesday. Pensacola News Journal.
Leon: School Superintendent Rocky Hanna and his Nov. 5 challenger Joe Burgess are exchanging accusations about spending on the salaries of district office staff members from 2015 to 2024. Burgess, the principal of Chiles High School, said, “It has come to light that over $8 million has been diverted to expand staffing at the central office — funds that could have, and should have, been directed toward our students, teachers, and essential school staff.” Hanna replied, “I’m not sure how or why my opponent has taken whatever information he’s received and manipulated it to fit his misleading narrative. Over the last eight years, non-school related expenses, including district salaries and operating costs, have decreased from 11.98 percent to 10.58 percent of the total budget.” Tallahassee Democrat.
Alachua: Thomas Vu’s win over District 2 school board member Diyonne McGraw last week could reopen the board’s 3-2 decision in February to appoint Shane Andrew as superintendent. McGraw supported making Andrew the permanent superintendent, but Vu favors conducting a national search for a new leader. He also wants to consider policy changes to improve public discussion, and says rezoning and fiscal evaluation are among his top priorities when his term begins in November. Mainstreet Daily News.
Colleges and universities: As part of his severance package, former University of Florida president Ben Sasse will keep his $1 million a year salary until 2028 or until he finds a new job. Tampa Bay Times. Interim UF president Kent Fuchs warned students Monday to follow state laws and university policies when protesting on campus. Gainesville Sun. WUFT. The University of South Florida releases new guidelines on student protests and hate speech. WUSF. The United Faculty of Florida has objected to a directive issued by the state about the process for about reviewing textbooks and other materials for “antisemitic material” or “anti-Israeli” bias, calling it a “politically motivated attack on academic freedom.” News Service of Florida. One-time bonuses have been issued to 134 Florida State University and 35 Florida A&M professors based on their 2024 post-tenure reviews. Tallahassee Democrat. Jacksonville University opened its new law school building in the space once occupied by Atlantic Bank in downtown Jacksonville. Eighty-six students are enrolled. Jacksonville Today. Florida Times-Union. Monday was the first day of classes at the University of South Florida, University of Tampa and Saint Leo University. Spectrum News 13. WFTS.
Jewish schools boom: Jewish student enrollment in Florida jumped 58 percent between the 2007-2008 and 2022-2023 school years, according to a new report from Teach Coalition and Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog and helps administer K-12 scholarships for the state. The number of schools nearly doubled in the same period, from 40 to 74, and the percentage of students using state scholarships to attend those schools went up from 10 percent to 60 percent. The growth is unmatched in America, according to the report, but it also cautions that “without legislative and regulatory action to reduce the hurdles to opening new schools, the lack of school building space may throttle growth in Florida’s Jewish day schools.” NextSteps.
Around the nation: At least 16 states, including Florida, have approved or are considering bills allowing chaplains to counsel students in public schools. State districts can decide what services, if any, they’ll allow chaplains to offer. A model policy was released last week, and Gov. Ron DeSantis spokesman Bryan Griffin said, “We strongly encourage school districts to move forward with their chaplaincy programs.” K-12 Dive.
Opinions on schools: We should celebrate rather than lament the fact that every single student in Madison County can leave their public schools if they wish to because of educational choice. Welcome to life with liberated families, Madison. Delightfully, there’s no turning back. Matthew Ladner, NextSteps. The Hillsborough County School Board may be violating federal civil rights law by busing hundreds of minority students in West Tampa away from their highly rated neighborhood schools. Michelle Patty and Tim DeRoche, Florida Politics.
