Hurricane Helene aftermath: Days after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, some educational institutions are still preparing to open for students and staff. According to the Department of Education, eight state colleges reopened Monday. Florida Gateway College in Lake City will reopen Tuesday, and North Florida College in Madison will reopen Wednesday. Dixie, Columbia, Gilchrist, and Jefferson counties reopened their schools on Tuesday and Taylor, Lafayette, Hamilton, and Suwannee counties will reopen today. Florida Phoenix. For some students in Pinellas, plans to return to class after Helene is offering some normalcy for students at storm-ravaged schools in this district. The district held family meetings on Monday evening. Along with Gulf Beaches, Madeira Beach Fundamental K-8 remained closed on Monday due to storm damage. Disston Academy wasn’t impacted by Helene, but was also closed to prepare the building for Gulf Beaches students. Beginning today, that’s where they’ll report for class. Disston students will share space at Lealman Innovation Academy. Also today, elementary students at the Madeira Beach K-8 will attend class at Walsingham Elementary, and middle schoolers will report to Osceola Fundamental High School starting Thursday. A final family meeting is scheduled for Tuesday for parents of middle schoolers at the Madeira Beach K-8. Baynews 9. Meanwhile, in Citrus, the temporary relocation of Crystal River Middle School (CRMS) and Crystal River Primary School (CRPS) students will continue until further notice. Both schools sustained flood damage during the storm surge that Hurricane Helene caused. “Unfortunately, we do not have a timeline as to when CRMS or CRPS will be fully open, but we’re hoping that it will be just temporary,” said district spokeswoman Lindsay Blair. Citrus County Chronicle.
Pasco: Libraries in this county have “suppressed” more than 100 children’s books with LGBTQ+ themes. The county’s public library system has pulled 130 books off its shelves after Commissioner Seth Weightman called for an audit of titles that he said have “disturbing” content. The decision to pull and review the books is the most recent example of a debate that has been playing out across Florida in recent years, usually in public schools. Suncoast News. Meanwhile, some of the students of Pasco County’s sole school shuttered by Hurricane Helene are on track to resume classes in their building on Monday, as repairs to the water damage are moving more quickly than initially expected. West Pasco Education Academy, an alternative school in Hudson, took on 18 inches of water in several of its buildings.“We got in there Sunday and were able to take care of some of it,” assistant superintendent Betsy Kuhn said. “We felt we could bring part of the student population back even with the damages.” Tampa Bay Times.
Lake: A middle school in Lake County saw a 67% decrease in violent behaviors. Cecil E. Gray Middle School in Groveland was named the 2023-2024 Bronze-Level Florida Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports System Model School. It’s a program they started three years ago. Spectrum News.
Hernando: A school board member has called on her colleagues to delete certain terms from district rules. Tampa Bay Times. Suncoast News.
Upcoming days off: Some school districts are issuing reminders regarding upcoming major holidays where school will not be in session. Palm Beach Post.
Teacher spending: The National Teacher and Principal Survey reported that 95% of public school teachers reported spending their own money to buy supplies for the classroom in the most recent data available — without getting reimbursed. Many teachers can deduct up to $300 in classroom expenses from their taxes — but they often spend way more than that. Chalkbeat.
Opinions on schools: The Florida State University System (SUS) is currently in the grips of a deeply politicized and monumentally counterproductive antisemitism scare, in which an ill-informed social media response to a few screen-captured test questions threatens to permanently alter teaching and learning at Florida’s universities. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Recently, the Arizona blob has tried to slime the ESA program, but ESA parents are fighting back in court. Matthew Ladner, NextSteps.
