Around the state: Broward’s school board approves purchasing and installing carbon monoxide detectors in every district school, Palm Beach’s school board approves a $5.6 billion budget, 8 percent of the teaching positions in DeSoto County are still open, a Polk County policy barring children 5 and younger from taking food and water bottles to school was rescinded four days after it took effect because of complaints from parents, a Jacksonville school for autistic students is closed indefinitely after heavy rains caused a wastewater backup that flooded the school Wednesday, the library dean at New College of Florida has been fired for not following the proper procedures after throwing out thousands of books, and a robot chef is a hit in a Florida International University dining center. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: A substitute teacher at the Air Base K-8 Center in Homestead was arrested Wednesday and accused of possessing child pornography. Homestead police said they were tipped last October by the National Center of Exploited and Missing Children that George Henry Rafols, 37, had uploaded a file containing child pornography, and began an investigation that culminated in Rafols’ arrest. Miami Herald. WPLG. WSVN. WTVJ.
Broward: Superintendent Howard Hepburn was authorized by the school board Wednesday to seek bids on installing carbon monoxide detectors in cafeterias and culinary labs at all 230-plus district schools. The estimated cost is $55,000. Last week, gas leaks at several schools caused evacuations and sent at least six people to hospitals for treatment. Sun Sentinel. WPLG.
Hillsborough: A former teacher at Carrollwood Day School has been sentenced to 45 months in prison for having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student in 2022. Jaime Melton, 44, pleaded guilty to sexual battery. She will also have to complete 10 years of sex offender probation while wearing a GPS ankle monitor, submit to annual polygraph tests, and won’t be allowed to live near schools. Tampa Bay Times.
Orange: The school district has opened a Global Welcome Center in Orlando to provide enrollment and transition services to students and their families who don’t speak English or are new to the area. “It’s a beautiful thing to see how a student can come to this country, learn a new language, and blossom,” said school board member Vicki-Elaine Felder at Wednesday’s opening. WFTV.
Palm Beach: School board members have approved a $5.6 billion budget for the 2025 school year that lowers property tax rates but is expected to generate more revenue because of rising property values. Enrollment is forecast to go up by 900 students even though about 6,600 students are expected to take state-provided school vouchers. Alexandria Ayala was the only one of the seven board members voting no, but didn’t publicly explain why she was opposed. Palm Beach Post. Seventeen new principals were approved Wednesday by the school board. One, Dwan Moore Ross, will lead West Acreage Elementary School when it opens in the fall of 2025. Palm Beach Post.
Duval: The Jacksonville School for Autism is closed indefinitely after a wastewater backup flooded the school Wednesday. Officials from the utility company JEA said the flooding was caused by heavy rains that overwhelmed the school’s sewage collection system. WTLV.
Polk: District officials have reversed a decision made last month to ban students younger than 5 from bringing food and water bottles to school. The policy was announced Aug. 26 because of what the district called an increase in the number of students with airborne food allergies. After parents complained, Superintendent Frederick Heid announced Aug. 30 that it was no longer in effect. Lakeland Ledger.
Collier: A nonprofit health-care provider has opened a clinic at Manatee Middle School in the South Naples neighborhood. Healthcare Network is giving students well-being exams and medical attention if they get sick, with parental permission. The school was chosen by the district for the pilot program because of access and proximity. Naples Daily News.
Sarasota: Legislative priorities were set this week by the school board. Among other things, members are pushing to extend the prekindergarten school year from 540 to 720 hours, and advocating for deregulation, higher salaries for employees and funding for mental health and school safety. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Escambia: Attorneys for the school board and several plaintiffs challenging the board’s right to remove a book from school libraries presented their cases Wednesday to U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor in Tallahassee. The plaintiffs want board members to give depositions about their decision to remove the book And Tango Makes Three, about two adult male penguins raising a chick in a zoo. Board attorneys argue the board members are shielded from testifying by “legislative privilege.” News Service of Florida.
Alachua: The outline of the district’s strategy map was approved by school board members this week, but the implementation plans will be reconsidered at a future board meeting. Teacher recruitment and retention, system and organizational processes, student achievement and professional learning are the themes of the strategy map. Mainstreet Daily News.
Martin: A historic marker has been approved for the 1934 Salerno Colored School, which was a Civil Works Administration project and one of the first schools in the county for black children, who were prohibited from attending school with white children. It relocated in 1967 and again in 1980, and was restored and reconstructed in 2012 after being damaged by hurricanes in 2004 and 2005. TCPalm.
Charlotte: A 15-year-old girl riding her bike to Port Charlotte High School was hit by a car and seriously injured Tuesday. Sophomore Angellique Nichols suffered a broken pelvis and wrist. WFTX.
DeSoto: Eight percent of the district’s teaching positions remain unfilled two weeks into the school year, Superintendent Bobby Bennett told the school board this week. Most of the openings are in special education, he said, including a deaf and hard-of-hearing interpreter, a speech and language pathologist, an occupational therapist, a signing paraprofessional and a teacher assistant Title 1. Charlotte Sun.
Colleges and universities: Indian River State College officials are investigating the college’s law enforcement program after several students taking the course at the public safety complex between Aug. 19 and 23 developed undisclosed “health issues.” The program was suspended temporarily during a review of “our protocols and training environment.” TCPalm. Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland has added master’s programs in mechanical and electrical engineering. Lakeland Ledger. New College of Florida has followed through on its threat to fire library dean Shannon Hausinger for not following proper procedures when she discarded thousands of books. She was notified of her dismissal by school officials in a letter dated Aug. 30. WFLA. WWSB. A robot chef is now doing the cooking at a dining room on the campus of Florida International University. Beastro, as it has been named, can cook four dishes at a time and up to 700 dishes a day. And it cleans up after itself. Miami Herald.
Around the nation: Four people were killed and nine others wounded during a shooting Wednesday at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., a town of 18,000 about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta. Killed were two students and two teachers. In custody is a 14-year-old boy who is also a student at the school. Associated Press. CNN. Americans’ satisfaction with public schools rose 7 percentage points this past year, according to a Gallup poll, but 55 percent still say they are dissatisfied with the quality of education. Republicans reported a 33 percent satisfaction with schools, compared with 53 percent of Democrats. K-12 Dive. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ surprise veto of funding for the arts in the Florida budget is having an impact on educational programming that benefits schools. Washington Post.
Opinions on schools: Education freedom does not contribute to unhealthy social discourse. When done well, it is part of the solution. Doug Tuthill, NextSteps. A training manual that the Florida Department of Education sent to “experts” who will review sex education materials submitted by county school districts, provides clues as to why the review process may be delayed. The “experts” are directed to evaluate all materials on 11 separate criteria, including “Male and Female Reproductive Roles,” “Principles of Individual Freedom,” “Critical Race Theory” and “Social Justice.” Judd Legum, Popular Information.
