Around the state: More public K-12 school districts are reopening today but some are still closed because of damage from Hurricane Milton and others had a previously scheduled teacher workday and student holiday, a Broward school employee is suing the school board for retaliation and harassment for her suspension after her transgender child played girls sports at her district high school, university reviews of required general education courses concern critics of the state law targeting “woke ideologies,” and Alachua County will soon have speed detection cameras in school zones. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: District 7 school board member Mary Blanco and challenger Max Tuchman, the founder of the education tech company Caribu, talked about their qualifications, the state’s Parental Rights in Education law and more at a recent debate. WPLG.
Broward: A district employee who was suspended for 10 days and moved to another job after her transgender child participated in girls sports at Monarch High School in Coconut Creek is suing the school board, alleging that she was subjected to retaliation, harassment and an intrusive investigation. Jessica Norton, who had been an information management specialist and coach at Monarch High, filed the suit last week. She says she was targeted because her family filed another suit in 2021 challenging a state law that bans students who are born male from playing on girls sports teams. Sun Sentinel.
Hillsborough: There’s no school again today, with district officials citing extensive power outages, flooding and uprooted trees blocking access. A decision will be announced at noon whether classes will resume Tuesday. Hillsborough County School District. Tampa Bay Times. WFTS.
Orange: Schools reopen Tuesday, and students will have to make up just one day of time missed because of hurricanes Helene and Milton. “Due to the number of instructional minutes in our students’ schedule, we will only need to make up one of the four days missed due to Hurricane’s Helene and Milton. The makeup day … will be Friday, Oct. 25,” district officials announced last week. Students are off today, which was a scheduled teacher workday. Orange County School District.
Polk: District schools remain closed today and tomorrow as work continues to prepare them for the return of students. “Three factors are impacting our ability to safely reopen our schools: We must have adequate power, food and staffing,” the district said in a statement over the weekend. “Our utility partners are doing an amazing job and working around the clock to restore power. But total or partial outages persist at more than 30 school sites.” Polk County School District. Lakeland Ledger. Lakeland Now.
Lee: All but two district schools are reopening today. The Sanibel School and Fort Myers Beach Elementary remain closed with wind and water damage from Hurricane Milton last week. Sanibel students will be relocated to Heights Elementary on Wednesday, the same day Fort Myers Beach Elementary students will head to San Carlos Elementary, where they went after Hurricane Ian devastated the area in 2022, said district spokesman Rob Spicker. Fort Myers News-Press. WFTX. WBBH.
Pinellas: Schools remain closed today as many campuses still don’t have power after Hurricane Milton hit the area last Wednesday and some continue to be used to shelter people who had to leave their homes. District officials said they will announce at noon today if schools will be open Tuesday. Pinellas County School District. Tampa Bay Times.
Pasco: Classes are suspended again today because of power outages, road conditions, and countywide fuel shortages that affect school transportation. Pasco County School District. Tampa Bay Times.
Brevard: Even though district students missed several days of schools last week because of Hurricane Milton, they won’t have to make up any of the time over Thanksgiving week. “We have developed plans to make up for the lost instructional time and will work with our employee groups to finalize those plans,” said Superintendent Mark Rendell. Schools are expected to reopen Tuesday after being closed today for the holiday. Florida Today. Space Coast Daily.
Manatee: Schools remain shuttered today as cleanup continues after Hurricane Milton swept through the county Wednesday. A decision about reopening Tuesday will be made by 5 p.m., according to district officials. Manatee County School District. WWSB.
Collier: The end of the school year’s first quarter is being pushed back a week because of last week’s storm, district officials said last week. Teachers will now have a planning day without students Oct. 25 instead of Oct. 18. Schools are open today. Collier County School District. Naples Daily News. WFTX.
Marion: Eighty-six speeding tickets have been issued since the school year began from speed detection cameras placed in school zones in Marion County, Ocala and Belleview, according to the law enforcement agencies. Ocala Star-Banner.
Sarasota: Students in the county where Hurricane Milton made landfall last week will return to classes Wednesday. “We understand that the upcoming week may pose challenges for some families. While we are all eager to return to our routines, our schools and systems require additional time to reset for normal operations fully. We are finalizing adjustments to the 2024-25 school year calendar to account for the recent school closures,” district officials said in a statement Sunday. Sarasota County School District. Charlotte Sun.
Alachua: Both the county and the city of Gainesville are moving ahead with plans to place speed detection cameras in school zones. Drivers going more than 10 mph over the posted speed limit will receive $100 tickets in the mail once the cameras are installed in the next few months. Mainstreet Daily News. P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School’s Advanced Placement program has been chosen for a platinum award by the College Board. To be eligible, schools must have a college culture of at least 80 percent, with a 50 percent rate in college credit and 15 percent on college optimization. Yonge’s scores were 97 percent in college culture, 54 percent in college credit and 17 percent in college optimization. Gainesville Sun. Mainstreet Daily News.
Martin: Murray Middle School’s roof was ripped off by a tornado during Hurricane Milton, but the school in Stuart is open today with students moving to areas of the campus that were undamaged. WPBF. WPEC. Martin County School District.
Indian River: Beachland Elementary School in Vero Beach is without power, and students will temporarily attend classes at Glendale Elementary, also in Vero Beach, starting today. The area around Beachland was damaged by a tornado during the hurricane last week. TCPalm.
Charlotte: Students will return to classrooms Tuesday, district officials announced last week. Today is scheduled as a teacher work day. Schools were closed last week for the hurricane. Charlotte County School District. Charlotte Sun. WFTX.
Colleges and universities: General education courses are being reviewed by the state’s public universities in order to comply with a law that aims to make courses about “identity politics” and content considered “unproven, speculative, or exploratory” elective rather than required as general education courses. Critics worry that such a move is the first step in ridding schools of those courses. But, university system Chancellor Ray Rodrigues argues, “If their subject matter is prohibited by statute but is compelling, then students are going to elect to take it. But what is not going to happen in Florida — the students are not going to be forced to take courses that have these prohibited concepts in order to fulfill their general education requirements.” Politico Florida. Several state universities have extended deadlines for early-action applications after two major hurricanes caused damage throughout the state in the last three weeks. Orlando Sentinel.
Opinions on schools: While there have been some missteps and a couple of frustrating political scandals, leaders of the broader parental rights in education movement say that parents are still engaged even if some of the culture-war issues that propelled the movement in its early days have fallen from the headlines in a presidential year. Ryan Mills, National Review. Public shaming of young students accused of making school threats serves no rehabilitative or deterrent purpose. Children that are willing to do something despite the threat of arrest won’t be deterred by a Facebook post by a sheriff. Matthew Metz, Daytona Beach News-Journal.
