Around the state: School boards and superintendents are sworn in around the state Tuesday and new board chairs and vice chairs are elected, former CEO of the WWE wrestling organization is chosen to lead the U.S. Department of Education, a recent analysis of federal data shows Florida had the second-most fatal school bus accidents in the country between 2013 and 2022, the most popular general education course at Valencia College has been removed as a requirement by the state, and a Pasco County school’s PTA has been made inactive after a dispute over $30,000 it raised but hasn’t spent. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: Members of the school board were sworn in at Tuesday’s meeting, and while there were declarations of unity, the vote for leaders followed party lines. All five Republicans voted for Mari Tere Rojas as board chair and Monica Colucci as vice chair, while all four Democratic-leaning board members voted for Steve Gallon for chair and Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall for vice chair. Republicans on the board are Rojas, Colucci, Roberto Alonso, Mary Blanco and Danny Espino, and Democrat-leaning members are Gallon, Bendross-Mindingall, Luisa Santos and Joe Geller. Miami Herald. WTVJ. Max Edwards, a longtime south Florida high school football coach, has been removed from his position at Miami Jackson Senior High School after being accused of watching pornography in the classroom on a school computer. The district is investigating. Miami Herald. WPLG. WFOR.
Broward: Five school board members who were elected in the August primary were sworn in Tuesday, and vowed to focus on student achievement instead of political differences. Newcomers Maura Bulman and Rebecca Thompson joined re-elected incumbents Sarah Leonardi, Jeff Holness and Debbi Hixon in the ceremony. Other members of the board who were not up for re-election are Lori Alhadeff, Allen Zeman, Brenda Fam and Nora Rupert. Hixon was elected as board chair, replacing Alhadeff, and Leonardi was elected vice chair, replacing Hixon. Sun Sentinel. Miami Herald. WTVJ.
Hillsborough: Tuesday was the first day that speed-detection cameras started flagging drivers who were going through school zones at more than 10 miles per over the speed limit. Operation Safe Passage began at Riverview High School, and deputies will send violators warnings until Jan. 21. After that, speeders will get $100 tickets in the mail. Cameras will be installed at more than 25 other schools in the next few months. Florida Politics. WFTS.
Central Florida: School boards in Brevard, Marion, Flagler, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties swore in new members Tuesday and elected board chairs and vice chairs. Central Florida Public Media.
Palm Beach: School board members approved 5 percent raises and 3 percent bonuses to members of the district’s police force. The raises are retroactive to Jan. 1. WPEC. More than 8,000 preschool students are preparing for kindergarten by using a digital reading program that officials say is producing results. “Using it just 20 minutes a day, we saw that children’s readiness for school was 45 points higher than children who did not use it,” said Aruna Gilbert of the Early Learning Coalition of West Palm Beach about Age of Learning’s My Reading Academy. WPTV.
Duval: Four school board members who were elected this fall were sworn into office Tuesday. Tony Ricardo, Reginald Blount and Melody Bolduc are new to the board, and Cindy Pearson was re-elected. Charlotte Joyce was elected chair of the board and April Carney was the choice for vice chair. A vow by board members to avoid partisanship was quickly breached at the meeting during discussions about sex education and book restrictions. WJXT. Jacksonville Today. Several local organizations are criticizing recent social media posts made by Ricardo that they consider racist and anti-LGBTQ. WJAX.
Lee: Denise Carlin was sworn in as school superintendent at Tuesday’s school board meeting as the first elected superintendent for the district in 50 years. Also installed as school board members were Melisa Giovannelli, William Ribble Jr. and Vanessa Chaviano. WINK.
Pasco: Veterans Elementary School in Wesley Chapel is kicking out its Parent-Teacher Association over a dispute about $30,000 the organization has raised but not spent. Principal Melissa Bidgood said the PTA’s leaders violated the school’s fund-raising rules. “I want the money spent on the school for the students and parents who raised it,” she said. The PTA has been placed on inactive status while two factions compete for control of the organization. Tampa Bay Times.
Brevard: Recently re-elected school board member Matt Susin and newly elected John Thomas were sworn into the board on Tuesday. Board member Gene Trent was elected as the chair, and Susin was chosen as vice chair. Florida Today.
Seminole: School board members have resisted calls from parents to add metal detectors to schools after a series of threats, pointing out that the district has been using software since 2021 that relies on artificial intelligence to detect more than 100 types of guns. The company ZeroEyes says it uses “existing video cameras, coupled with artificial intelligence gun detection, to prevent threats rather than react to them.” While the school district says it can’t quantify the number of threats detected with the software, a spokesperson says, “This school safety technology has played a role in helping us keep our schools safe.” Spectrum News 13.
Volusia: The parents of a Deltona Middle School student were arrested Tuesday and accused of attacking a school resource officer. Deputies said Jorge Rivera, 46, and his wife, Dagmarie Aponte Iturrino, 45, were protesting their son’s battery charge for allegedly shoving a girl at school on Monday when the assault happened. The officer was pushed against a wall, punched in the head, knocked to the ground and her Taser was ripped from her hand. The assault ended when the officer drew her gun. WKMG. WOFL. WESH.
Manatee: Three new members of the school board were sworn in Tuesday. Heather Felton and Charlie Kennedy were elected this year, and Richard Tatem was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Chad Choate was then elected board chair, and Cindy Spray was chosen as vice chair. WWSB. Braden River High School’s marching band won the state Class 2A championship last weekend. Braden River last won the title in 2019. Your Observer. A high school substitute teacher has been arrested and accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a student. Deputies said Joseph Prevatte, 39, exchanged sexually tinged text messages and photos with a student. He also faces the same charges in Hillsborough County. Bradenton Herald. Tampa Bay Times. WFLA. WTSP. WTVT. WFTS.
St. Lucie: A school bus aide was arrested this week and accused of molesting a 6-year-old. Port St. Lucie police said Antonio Devarous Fields, 25, committed the crime in January while living in a home where the child was being babysat by a family member. WPTV. WPEC.
Sarasota: Recently elected school board member Tom Edwards and a newcomer to the board, Liz Barker, were sworn in at Tuesday’s meeting. The board then elected Tim Enos as board chair and Robyn Marinelli as vice chair. WWSB.
Okaloosa: Winners in this year’s elections — Superintendent Marcus Chambers, board member Tim Bryant and new board member Parker Destin — were sworn into office at Tuesday’s school board meeting. School board members also elected Lamar White as the board chair and Linda Evanchyk as vice chair. Okaloosa County School District.
Leon: School board member Darryl Jones asked his colleagues Tuesday to consider having the superintendent appointed rather than elected. “There are pros and cons to that (appointed) system, but I think it’s something the community would be interested in exploring,” Jones said. He requested the topic be discussed at a workshop meeting. Switching the method of selecting a superintendent has been rejected by voters eight times since the early 1960s, most recently in 1998. More than 50 percent of voters would have to approve the change. Tallahassee Democrat. District officials will present their turnaround plan for Apalachee Elementary School to the Florida Board of Education at its meeting today. Apalachee has received D grades from the state for the past two years, which requires the district to create a plan for improvement. The plan includes a focus on reviewing lesson plans and frequent progress monitoring of student data. If the school doesn’t improve its grade next year, the district has the options of turning it into a charter school, hiring a private company to run it, or closing the school. Tallahassee Democrat.
Alachua: Recently elected school board members Thomas Vu and Leanetta McNealy were sworn in at Tuesday’s board meeting. Sara Rockwell was then elected by her colleagues as chair of the board, and Tina Certain was the choice for vice chair. Mainstreet Daily News.
Citrus: Earl Bramlett, longtime athletic director and head football coach at Crystal River High School, died Nov. 15 at the age of 86. Citrus County Chronicle.
Colleges and universities: Valencia College’s most popular course no longer qualifies as a required general education credit, the state has informed the school. The New Student Experience course helped students understand how to manage the demands of college. State officials did not explain their decision. Changes in the required general education courses were approved by college trustees. Orlando Sentinel. Interim University of Florida Police Chief Bart Knowles has been appointed to the job permanently. Knowles has been the interim chief since June, when Linda Stump-Kurnick was promoted to assistant vice president for public safety. WUFT. WCJB.
School bus accidents: Florida had the second-most fatal school bus accidents in the country, according to a recent analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration records over the past 10 years. There were 946 fatal bus accidents in the United States between 2013 and 2022 that killed 1,082 people, and 74 were in Florida, killing 76 people. Texas had the most accidents, with 75, killing 87 people. “Occupants of other vehicles are most likely to die in a school bus accident,” the study concluded. Florida is one of eight states that require school buses to have seat belts. Florida Politics.
Around the nation: President-elect Donald Trump has named Linda McMahon, co-chair of his transition team, former director of the Small Business Administration and co-founder and former CEO of the WWE professional wrestling franchise, to lead the U.S. Department of Education. She has expressed support for school choice, parental involvement, Pell grants, and expanding access to career and technical education. Trump has said he wants to eliminate the department Politico. Chalkbeat. CNN. Associated Press. K-12 Dive. NPR. Education Week. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he wanted to “Make America Florida” when he ran for president. Now it seems President-elect Trump is making the state the model for his education policies. Newsweek.
