Around the state: Broward’s school board is banning religious and political signs on campuses and giving students a day off next year for the Hindu holiday of Diwali, revenue from a property tax referendum will be used to boost pay for Hillsborough teachers and support staff, Pinellas schools will soon have a new panic alert system, an Alachua County School Board member resigns, Union County’s school board is cutting its budget, and five school districts and 176 schools have been awarded Purple Star status by the state. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: A ban on religious and political signs on all district campuses was approved Tuesday by the school board. The policy was adopted to avoid lawsuits after a banner paid for by Pentecostals was removed at Cooper City High School. WTVJ. A school calendar for the 2025-2026 academic year that includes a day off for the Hindu holiday of Diwali and 10 extra minutes a day for middle school students also got the board’s approval. Schools will reopen Aug. 11, with the final day June 3, 2026. Oct. 20 will be an off day for Diwali, which is a festival of lights commemorating the triumph of good over evil. WFOR. WTVJ. Part of a 30-acre lot will be sold by the school district to the town of Southwest Ranches and the South Florida Wildlife Center for future use as a wildlife refuge and animal hospital. Sun Sentinel.
Hillsborough: Pay raises of $6,000 for teachers and $3,000 for support employees were approved by the school board Tuesday. Voters approved a property tax referendum Nov. 5 that will generate $177 million a year to pay for the higher wages and academic enrichment programs such as art and college readiness classes. WTSP. Bill Shaffer, who coached the Tampa Jesuit boys swim team and the Academy of the Holy Names girls swim team each to three state championships, died Sunday of a heart attack. He was 58. SwimSwam.
Pinellas: A new panic alert system will be installed in district schools early next year after school board members agreed Tuesday to spend $3.8 million over five years to replace the current system that used a phone app. All employees will be given badges with a button that, when pushed, will set off a silent alarm network. “We are constantly evaluating our safety and security systems to find the best way to keep our students and staff safe,” said Superintendent Kevin Hendrick. Tampa Bay Times. St. Petersburg police said they found a gun and a kitchen knife in the backpack of a 13-year-old student at Azalea Middle School in St. Petersburg on Tuesday. The boy made no threats against other students or the school, according to police. WTVT.
Duval: Florida’s Department of Education is being asked to reopen its investigation into a former Douglas Anderson of the Arts teacher who was accused of sexual battery against a 14-year-old student a decade ago. School board member April Carney made the request at a meeting Tuesday, saying the victim had expected the state to revoke the teaching license of Corey Thayer as part of her settlement with the district. But state’s online database shows that Thayer’s license is still active. Jacksonville Today.
Brevard: School board members are considering hiring a company that uses artificial intelligence software to pair with existing surveillance cameras to detect weapons in schools. ZeroEyes software is already used in some districts in central Florida. WKMG.
Osceola: An 18-year-old Poinciana High School student was arrested Tuesday and accused of having a gun in his backpack. The boy fled while being searched, but was arrested later off-campus. WOFL. Orlando Sentinel. WKMG.
Lake: Joseph Mabry, the school district’s director of security and safety, talks about the new vaping detection pilot program being tested at East Ridge High School, which will cost about $97,000 and place sensors in bathrooms and nearby areas. Daily Commercial.
Okaloosa: Guadalupe Salas-Garcia, the registrar at Shoal River Middle School in Crestview, has been chosen as the school district’s support employee of the year. She’s now eligible for the statewide award. Okaloosa County School District.
Alachua: District 5 school board member Kay Abbitt resigned Tuesday, effective immediately. Abbitt said her temporary volunteer work as interim director of the Boulware Springs Charter School presented a potential conflict of interest with her board duties. Gov. Ron DeSantis will appoint a replacement to fill the rest of Abbitt’s term, which ends in 2026. Abbitt was elected to the board in 2022. Gainesville Sun. Mainstreet Daily News. WCJB. Alachua County School District.
Flagler: Newly elected school board members Janie Ruddy and Lauren Ramirez are questioning the process the board took in hiring a new attorney, and the employment of separate attorneys for the board and the district at a time when “every day we’re hearing about doing more with less money,” said Ruddy. Flagler Live.
Columbia: Tameka Henry, the owner of the private Touch by an Angel Learning Academy in Lake City, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of stealing more than $1 million from the school’s Step Up for Students and Early Learning Coalition programs. WCJB.
Monroe: A timeline of the search for a replacement for retiring Superintendent Theresa Axford was recently announced by the school board. Once applications are in, board members will narrow the field to three finalists by April, who will be interviewed and attend town forums. A selection is expected May 6, and the tentative start date of the new superintendent is July 1. Key West Citizen.
Union: School district officials have instituted a hiring freeze and adopted other measures to cut $1 million out of the budget. A decline in enrollment and an increase in pay for school workers prompted the cutbacks. School board members also approved the closing of the Tigers Den Daycare in Lake Butler at the end of the school year, which could save $10,000 a month. WCJB.
Colleges and universities: Florida A&M University trustees have selected the outside firm of Myers McRae to advise a 15-member committee in its search for a new president. The committee is expected to submit a list of candidates to trustees by May. Tallahassee Democrat. WCTV. Flagler Credit Union is paying Florida Atlantic University $22.5 million over 15 years for the naming rights to the school’s football stadium. Palm Beach Post.
Teacher union priorities: Raises and expanded health-care benefits for public school teachers are the top priorities of the state’s largest teachers union for the 2025 legislative session that runs from March 4 to May 2. The average teacher in Florida makes $53,098 a year, which is $16,459 below the national average and second-lowest among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. To close the gap, the Florida Education Association wants to increase funding for each fulltime-equivalent student by $1,000 from this year’s $8,959. Florida Politics.
New 2024 laws: Nearly 300 laws were passed by the Florida Legislature in 2024 and either have gone into effect or will next year, with a significant number relating to education. Here are summaries of those laws. WKMG.
Purple Star schools, districts: Five school districts and 176 schools have been awarded Purple Star status by the state, Gov. DeSantis announced Tuesday. Bay, Brevard, Citrus, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa school districts were singled out because at least 75 percent of their schools have earned the Purple Star designation, which is given to schools for their efforts to meet the needs of military families. Since the program was established in 2021, nearly 400 schools have been chosen for the award. WFSU. Central Florida Public Media. WJHG. Northwest Florida Daily News. Florida Department of Education. Okaloosa County School District.
Subcommittee assignments: State Rep. Demi Busatta, R-Coral Gables, will chair the Florida House’s Higher Education Budget Subcommittee, and Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, will lead the PreK-12 Budget Subcommittee, House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, announced Tuesday. News Service of Florida.
Opinions on schools: The right of any child with a disability to attend school, to be included with peers, and to access individualized supports hinges upon public schools: Those rights do not follow students into private educational settings. We cannot forget our recent history, when exclusion was the norm – and we must not go back. Lauren Morando Rhim, The 74. By embracing the transformative potential of electric school buses, school districts can create lasting benefits for children, families and communities, paving the way for a greener, healthier and more sustainable future. Uyen Dang, Orlando Sentinel.
