Around the state: The incoming speaker of the Florida House says a proposed Florida Board of Governors rule requiring colleges to submit a list of finalists for presidential searches to the BOG chair for review could “manipulate the hiring process,” a mother in Brevard County is arrested after her child missed 200 days of school in the past three years, a 16-year-old Broward student died Thursday when he was apparently hit by lightning while riding his bike home from school band practice, Martin and Monroe school boards approve budgets, and a conservative think tank in Washington state is behind the move to decertify the Miami-Dade teachers union. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: A conservative think tank based in Olympia, Wash., is behind the push to have the Miami-Dade teachers union decertified. Freedom Foundation is providing mailers that accuse the United Teachers of Dade of lying about fighting for higher teacher pay. “They are underwriting our entire campaign,” said Shawn Beightol, a teacher at John A. Ferguson Senior High School in Kendall who started a rival union called the Miami-Dade Education Coalition. “It is impossible to do this kind of campaign without some outside force. So yeah, we allied ourselves with a group that has a common enemy.” Beightol estimated the campaign is costing the foundation more than a million dollars. Miami New Times.
Broward: A 16-year-old junior at McArthur High School in Pembroke Pines was apparently struck by lightning near the school Thursday afternoon and died from his injuries. Family and friends said Cameron Day was riding his bike home from band practice at the school. Grief counselors will be available for students at the school today and “for as long as it is necessary,” said principal Mark Howard. Sun Sentinel. WPLG. WSVN. WFOR. WTVJ.
Orange: Parts of a handgun were found in a 14-year-old student’s backpack at Ocoee High School on Thursday, according to police. After getting a tip, officers found the bottom part of a gun and an extended magazine. No one was injured. The student faces charges of carrying a concealed firearm inside an education institution and interrupting or disturbing a school function with a credible threat. Orlando Sentinel. WKMG. WFTV. WESH.
Palm Beach: A former public school teacher who said she felt “caged” decided she could better help students by creating a K-8 tutoring center and microschool in Palm Beach Gardens focused on math, reading and enrichment for home-schooled students who use state scholarships. Cristina Bedgood named it Creative Innovators of America, and it grew quickly enough for her to hire five instructors, three of them fulltime. Now that she’s seen the possibilities outside of a school system, she said couldn’t go back. NextSteps.
Polk: Sarah McKay, a community leader and philanthropist who was the first woman to chair the board of trustees at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, has died at the age of 98. Lakeland Now. Lakeland Ledger.
Brevard: A 34-year-old mother whose elementary school-age child missed 33 days of school in a three-month period earlier this year and about 200 days in the past three years has been arrested and accused of failure to require school attendance along with failure to appear in court. Documents show that Brittany Messineo’s child had 102 unexcused absences in the 2021-2022 school year and 79 unexcused absences in the 2022-2023 school year. WKMG. WOFL.
St. Lucie: Six children had to be removed Thursday from a school bus that got stuck in high water on a Port St. Lucie street. No one was injured. WPEC.
Marion: District officials and school board members have begun the process of prioritizing long-delayed maintenance projects at schools in anticipation of a vote Nov. 5 on a request for an extra half-cent sales tax for infrastructure. The district faces a tab of $840 million for maintenance projects, and some board members say it could be cheaper to tear down old buildings and building new ones. “It’s not to be overly dramatic, but when you look at the data, the growth and our facilities, when you have about half our facilities are over 50 years old, the cost of maintenance continues to climb,” said Superintendent Diane Gullett. WKMG.
Sarasota: Both the Imagine high school and elementary school in North Port were temporarily put on lockdown Thursday after a school bus driver found two bullets on a bus. Riders were questioned, and the investigation continues. WWSB. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. WBBH.
Leon: A 17-year-old Lincoln High School student was arrested this week for allegedly attacking a hall monitor and stealing her phone. The subsequent fight was captured in a phone video that was circulated on social media and through text messages. Once it was broken up, the student was taken to the Leon Juvenile Detention Center and the hall monitor was placed on administrative leave while the incident is being investigated. WTXL. Tallahassee Democrat. WCTV. WFSU.
Alachua: Nine students from the private Frazer School in Gainesville have been selected as National Merit Scholarship semifinalists. The grades 3-12 private institution just opened this fall. Mainstreet Daily News.
Martin: A $538 million budget has been adopted by the school board with a slightly lower tax rate that will still generate more revenue because of higher property valuations and new construction. The operating portion of the budget, $257.9 million, is about $8.3 million more than last year’s spending. TCPalm.
Indian River: A district teacher has been placed on leave after being accused of having an “inappropriate” relationship with a student. The teacher had duties at both Sebastian River High School and Sebastian River Middle, said district spokesperson Cristen Maddux. The leave will continue until the sheriff’s investigation has concluded. Another employee at Sebastian River High also was fired after allegations of misconduct with a student. WPTV.
Putnam: An 11-year student at Browning-Pearce Elementary School was arrested Thursday and accused of bringing a knife to school. The girl told police she planned to use the knife on another girl who was talking to her boyfriend. WJAX.
Monroe: School board members recently approved a $307.37 million budget that includes an operating budget of $166.76 million and $77.01 million for capital projects. Spending is projected to be $6.78 million more than last year’s. Florida Keys Weekly. Monroe County School District.
Levy: A former Bronson High School basketball coach has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for producing child pornography. Deputies said Billy McCall, 41, was arrested in July 2022 after a player on the team accused the coach of inappropriately touching him and making videos of him. WCJB.
Colleges and universities: The incoming speaker of the Florida House is criticizing the Florida Board of Governors’ proposed rule that would require schools searching for a president to submit a list of finalists to the BOG chair for review. State Rep. Daniel Perez, R-Miami, said the rule could “manipulate the hiring process.” The BOG’s final vote on the proposal is scheduled at its meeting Oct. 29 and 30. News Service of Florida. A new civics course launched by the Hamilton Center at the University of Florida, named “Civil Discourse, and the American Political Order,” has been approved to fulfill students’ civics literacy requirement. WUFT. Florida Southern College is preparing to open its new $8.2 million Adams Athletic Performance Center. Lakeland Ledger. Six years after a pedestrian bridge collapsed at Florida International University, killing six, construction on a replacement begins next month. WLRN. A 20-year-old Keiser University student drowned this week in a swimming pool on the West Palm Beach campus. Police said a medical condition contributed to Ruben Tronhus’ drowning. WPTV.
School threats: School threats continued around the state Thursday. Hillsborough. Polk. Duval, Volusia. Collier. Flagler. Putnam.
Around the nation: The U.S. House has passed a bill that would forbid college accrediting organizations from requiring colleges and universities to adopt diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. It’s expected to run into opposition in the Senate. Florida Phoenix.
