Around the state: There is no record of an audit being done that former University of Florida president Ben Sasse claims found no wrongdoing with his spending, changes in the master facilities plan for Duval schools take some proposed closings off the table, Hillsborough’s school board approves a $4.3 billion budget and agrees to name a new school after a longtime teacher, Lee’s school board could prohibit employees’ emails from including photos and quotes, and a Broward teacher who lost his educator’s license for misconduct with students was hired in Palm Beach County after the state didn’t notify the district and the district didn’t check a state website. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: A senior at Archbishop McCarthy High School in Southwest Ranches used the CPR training he received at school to help save the life of a friend’s father over the Labor Day weekend. Juan Carlos began performing CPR chest compressions when the man collapsed, and kept it going until an ambulance arrived. The man is expected to recover. Carlos had been taking CPR training as part of his EMT class for the previous three weeks. “I wouldn’t know how to do CPR if it weren’t for this course,” he said, adding that he hoped the experience encouraged more students to take the class. WTVJ.
Hillsborough: The school board decided Thursday to name its newest high school after Aquilla J. Morgan,who was the first black teacher at Wimauma Elementary and worked there 43 years. “It is very important to me that this school reflect the community of Wimauma,” said board member Patti Rendon. “Wimauma is changing. We need to keep that history there.” Morgan’s nomination was chosen over two other finalists, former principal Sylvia Albritton and former judge E.J. Salcines. The school opens in August 2025 for up to 3,500 students. Tampa Bay Times. WFLA. Board members also approved a $4.3 billion budget, down from last year’s $4.7 billion, and the selection of Nicole Zamora as principal of Town and Country Elementary School, where she has been the assistant principal the past four years. Tampa Bay Times.
Palm Beach: A former middle school teacher in Broward County who had his license revoked for inappropriate behavior with students was hired 10 months later at H.L. Watkins Middle School in Palm Beach Gardens because the Florida Department of Education never alerted the district to the certificate being revoked and the district didn’t checked the state’s website that details disciplinary actions. Karleef Kebreau, 47, remained in the classroom for months until last week, when a parent researched his past after her daughters told her he was behaving inappropriately with several students. Anne Williams-Dorsey notified district officials, who fired Kebreau, but was critical of the district. “How is it that they are unaware? Shame on them. They should know. It’s their job to know,” she said. WPBF.
Duval: A new school district master plan for facilities takes the proposed closings of Ramona, Bayview and West Riverside elementaries off the table, puts new construction at Garden City and Sheffield elementaries on hold, and calls for the consolidation of Mayport Elementary School and Anchor Academy. Underenrolled schools and a budget deficit have prompted the proposals. School board members resume discussion on the master plan at the Sept. 17 workshop meeting. WJXT.
Polk: A search for a new school board attorney will be expanded after just five people applied to replace Wes Bridges, the board’s attorney for 26 years who is retiring. Only one of the five applicants met the minimum qualifications for the job, said board member Sara Beth Wyatt. The board agreed to advertise again for the job and then decide at its Oct. 8 work session whether it needs to hire a search firm to find more qualified candidates. Lakeland Ledger.
Lee: School board members are considering a proposal that would prohibit employees from using pictures and quotes under signatures in school district emails, and having personal items in classrooms. Employees would be limited to using work-related certifications and roles in emails. Union officials said they’re checking with attorneys and the LGBTQ rights advocacy group Equality Florida to see if the proposal is a violation of free speech rights. WGCU.
Manatee: A private school’s charter bus hit a 59-year-old pedestrian Thursday morning as he tried to cross Manatee Avenue in Bradenton. The man was taken to a hospital. None of the students on the bus were injured. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Spectrum News 9.
Sarasota: Better Schools for Sarasota County has launched a campaign to convince voters to renew a 1 mill property tax to provide ongoing financial support for safety, teacher recruitment and retention, arts and charter schools. The added tax was first approved in 2002, and was renewed in a special election in 2022 with the approval of 85 percent of voters. It’s on the November ballot because the state passed a law requiring school districts to ask for tax hikes only in general elections. Florida Politics.
Clay: District officials have agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over charges that they didn’t provide necessary services to students learning the English language. Clay must develop an English learner program, train English for speakers of other languages teachers, offer English language education to increase proficiency, and use an interpreter or translators when dealing with parents who are not fluent in English. Florida Politics.
Washington: Kelly Brock, who served four terms as superintendent of the county school district, died last month in Chipley at the age of 89. He had a 40-year career as a teacher, assistant principal and principal at the elementary and high school level before being elected superintendent. Chipley Bugle.
Colleges and universities: Former University of Florida president Ben Sasse claimed that an audit found no wrongdoing with his spending decisions. But there is no record that any such audit has been done. Independent Florida Alligator. University of South Florida trustees have agreed to remove courses “based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States” from required general education courses to comply with state law. USF Oracle. The National Labor Relations Board has filed a complaint against Edward Waters University in Jacksonville for shutting down its faculty union. In May 2022, the school terminated its 20-plus-year contract with the union, citing “core values and Christian tenets.” A trial is scheduled Nov. 5 before an NLRB judge. Jacksonville Today. Florida State University has been ranked the third-best college in the nation for free expression by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a national organization that focuses on the First Amendment. USF is rated 17th of 257, Florida International University 35th, University of Florida 170th, University of Central Florida 183rd, and the University of Miami 188th. Tallahassee Democrat.
Around the nation: Wednesday’s school shooting in Winder, Ga., where two students and two teachers were murdered, was that state’s 16th mass shooting of the year. Florida has had 24, and there have been 385 across the United States. Twenty-three of the mass shootings have been at schools, according to data compiled by Education Week, an online news organization that covers K-12 education. Education Week. Tallahassee Democrat. USA Today. Associated Press. The shooting could lead to school cell phone bans being reconsidered. Education Week. Most state school systems received low marks on providing online access to students’ academic performance and school report cards dating back to before the pandemic in 2020, according to an analysis released Thursday by the Center on Reinventing Public Education. Only seven states received a grade of A. Florida and eight other states earned a B, and 13 received an F. States should create more accessible and user-friendly school report cards so areas of academic need can be identified, CRPE recommends. K-12 Dive. Chalkbeat.
Opinions on schools: If education freedom proponents fail to embrace transportation reform, we will also fail students who deserve to be free from the constraints of an outdated education system based solely on their ZIP codes. Cooper Conway, NextSteps. The alumni of New College and the Novo Collegian Alliance stand ready to help New College succeed as the state university system’s honors college. But it is clear that President Richard Corcoran does not value our assistance. William Rosenberg, Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
