Around the state: Several tech firms are suing the state over its new law restricting children's access to social media apps, Eckerd College in St. Petersburg has reopened to students a month after closing because of hurricanes Helene and Milton, Martin County schools announce the winner of their teacher of the year award, cell phones are now off-limits during the school day for Dixie County students, Duval school officials begin hearings today on their plan to shutter some schools, and a Miami-Dade charter school is asking the city of Hialeah for permission to expand its operations into a city park. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: An Academica charter school in Hialeah is asking the city for permission to expand its operations into a public park. City of Hialeah Educational Academy has been leasing part of Slade Park from the city since 2008, and now wants to replace two multipurpose playing fields with a parking lot, a gym and classroom space. School officials say the space is needed to expand from 1,000 to 1,250 students. The city’s planning and zoning board is expected to make a recommendation to the city council by Nov. 13. Miami Herald.
Broward: An audit has uncovered flaws in the way 15 middle and high schools report disciplinary actions to the district. Among the problems cited were schools routinely not completing written behavior and last chance contracts with students, failing to document whether students actually received discipline, and administrators not reviewing more than 3,000 discipline cases referred to them since 2017. "We have already begun addressing the concerns identified in the audit. Furthermore, we have identified instances of potential user error and areas requiring process improvement," deputy superintendent Angela Fulton wrote in a letter to the auditor. Sun Sentinel. Boyd H. Anderson High School's marching band performed at a political rally Oct. 23 in Hallandale Beach for Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president. District spokesman John Sullivan says students and staff are prohibited from participating in political activities or event during school hours. Sullivan said a review of the incident suggested there was no intent to violate school policies, that principal James Griffin was "not aware" of the band's activities, and that "appropriate administrative actions will be taken." Florida's Voice.
Duval: Hearings are scheduled today on the district's plan to close six underenrolled elementary schools at the end of the school year and replace a leadership academy at a middle school with specialized classes for middle- and high-school students who have fallen behind their classmates academically. Annie R. Morgan, Kings Trail, Don Brewer, Susie Tolbert, George Washington Carver and Hidden Oaks elementaries would close and the Bridge to Success programs would move to Butler Middle School under the proposal. A final school board vote on the plan is scheduled Nov. 4. Florida Times-Union.
Brevard: Six early-release days and a day that had been set aside for teacher development have been converted to full days for students to make up classroom instructional time lost when hurricanes Helene and Milton closed schools, district officials have announced. Nov. 1, 8, 15 and 22, Dec. 6 and April 18, and the originally scheduled teacher development day Feb. 17 will now be full school days. Brevard County School District. A cafeteria worker at Merritt Island High School has been arrested and accused of sending a student a photo of her bare breast. Ashley Pearce, who is also an after-school child-care provider at Anderson Elementary, was suspended from both positions. Space Coast Daily.
St. Johns: Voters will select a new representative Nov. 5 for the District 5 seat on the school board to replace Patrick Canan, who decided not to run for re-election. Both candidates, Linda Thomson and Bethany Hilbert, have extensive experience in education. Thomson taught math and worked as a principal in her 40-year career, and retired as the district’s director of curriculum for K-12 education in 2017. Hilbert has been a teacher since 2003, and works at Ketterlinus Elementary in St. Augustine. In questionnaires, they discuss their backgrounds and what they see as the two biggest issues facing the district. Jacksonville Today.
Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa: The number of students who left Escambia public schools with the help of state scholarships rose from 1,877 in the 2022-2023 school year to 2,367 in 2023-2024, according to statistics from Step Up For Students, which helps administer the state's scholarships and hosts this blog. Okaloosa lost about 300 students year to year, and Santa Rosa has seen about 400 students leave with scholarships in the past two years. WEAR. Renewal of a half-cent sales tax to build and renovate schools, buy land and upgrade technology goes before Escambia voters Nov. 5. The added tax was first approved in 1997, and if it's renewed this year it will be in place through Dec. 31, 2037. Expenditures from the tax are monitored by a watchdog committee. Pensacola News Journal. Four Okaloosa County high school students have been chosen as 2025 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists. Okaloosa County School District.
Bay: A $1.5 million grant from the state's Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program will be used to expand career and technical education programs, including agriculture, allied health assisting, building trades, criminal justice, and unmanned aircraft systems operations. WMBB. A former Lynn Haven city commissioner who served 45 days in federal prison after pleading guilty to lying on an application to a bank in 2019 will keep his teaching certificate under a deal reached recently with the state Department of Education. Antonius Gen Barnes is on employment probation for two years, cannot be a school administrator or handle school funds, and must complete an ethics course and pay a $750 fine. WMBB.
Martin: Vanessa Molina-Council, a 4th-grade teacher at Citrus Grove Elementary School in Palm City, has been selected as the school district's teacher of the year and is now eligible for the statewide award. AP geography and history teacher Samantha Pankhurst of Jensen Beach High was chosen as high school teacher of the year, and Alicia Carter of Hidden Oaks Middle is that level's teacher of the year. TCPalm. Renewal of an added property tax for schools is on the ballot Nov. 5. First approved in 2018, the tax raises money for student safety and security, mental health, teacher recruitment and retention, professional development and academic initiatives. WPTV.
Gilchrist: Two candidates meet Nov. 5 in the race for the District 4 school board seat being vacated by Gina Geiger, who is running for the superintendent's position. Tammy Moore is the human resource director for the Gilchrist County Board of County Commissioners, and her priorities are improving parental involvement and school security. Patricia Hodge Philman was a teacher and media specialist at Bell Elementary School for 25 years, and her campaign is focusing on getting resources, including higher pay, to teachers. WUFT.
Dixie: Students at Dixie County Middle High School in Cross City may no longer use their cell phones at school. In making the announcement late last week, school officials asked parents to remind their children that phones must be turned off and kept in lockers or bags during the school day. "Cell phones have become a distraction and interfere in our efforts to provide quality instruction to our students," said Superintendent Mike Thomas. WCJB.
Colleges and universities: A month after hurricanes Helene and Milton closed Eckerd College, the waterfront St. Petersburg school reopened Monday. At the end of September, Helene brought flooding into classrooms and dorms and closed the school, with classes being held remotely. Two weeks later, Milton's winds caused some damage, and more water intrusion was reported. Students began moving back in over the weekend, and Monday was the first day of classes. Spectrum News 9. WUSF.
Tech firms sue state: Trade associations representing social media companies Meta, Alphabet and Snapchat filed suit against the state Monday over a law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in March that restricts children's access to their platforms. They allege that the law barring children younger than 14 from using many platforms and demanding parental approval for those 15 and 16 years old violates free speech rights and "puts the state in charge of parenting." Politico Florida. USA Today Florida Network. News Service of Florida.
Schools of Excellence: More than 375 Florida K-12 schools have been named as Schools of Excellence by the Florida Department of Education. A school's grade is calculated on five achievement components, four learning gains components, middle school acceleration, graduation rate and college and career acceleration. Schools are chosen by being in the 80th percentile grade or higher overall. Florida Department of Education. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Charlotte Sun. WJXT.
Around the nation: Marijuana use among U.S. high school students has declined dramatically since 2011, according to a recent study by researchers at Florida Atlantic University. In 2011, 23.1 percent of those students reported being pot users, but by 2021 that percentage had declined to 15.8 percent. In that same period, the percentage of children who said they tried marijuana for the first time before they were 13 years old dropped from 8.1 to 4.9 percent. Florida Atlantic University. The number of black male students enrolled at historically black U.S. colleges and universities is at the lowest percentage since 1976. Only 28 percent of students enrolled in HBCUs today are black men, down from 36 percent 48 years ago. NPR.
Opinions on schools: We can foster better school attendance and engagement by creating classrooms where students feel a genuine sense of belonging and are motivated to interact with their peers. Emily McGinnis, Sun Sentinel.
