Around the state: A legislative leader says the state will continue broadening access to school choice with more charter high schools and getting more home-schooled state scholarships, Hernando County’s school board will decide whether to ban or restrict three more challenged books, a prolific book-challenger from Clay County tells the Daily Show “nothing’s going to stop me,” a high school swimming pool in Palm Beach County is closed after being overrun and befouled by invasive green iguanas, and St. Johns, Highlands and Sumter schools honor employees of the year. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: A special-needs student at Miami Northwestern Senior High School was arrested last week and accused of punching a teacher twice in the chest and once in the arm. The boy’s mother said he reacted after the teacher grabbed him. WPLG.
Broward: An elementary school teacher faces a five-day suspension after being accused of poking a misbehaving student with a thumbtack and punishing him by brushing his hair last year. But no criminal charges will be filed against Rhonda Daniels Bishop, 58, a 1st-grade teacher at Watkins Elementary in Pembroke Park, even though she was arrested and accused of child neglect without great bodily harm. Prosecutors determined Florida’s corporal punishment law allows the use of physical force on a student. Sun Sentinel.
Hillsborough: A mother’s advocacy for her autistic child has prompted the school district to update its Private Instruction Personnel Policy to allow therapists in all classrooms, and now she’s lobbying to get that permission written into state law. Tamara Perez began pushing for the change in 2023, and said its adoption has made all the difference for her 4th-grade son. Spectrum News 9.
Orange: School board members meet Tuesday to discuss the financial implications and logistics of replacing school resource officers at 30 schools with armed guardians. Five cities that provide officers for schools have rejected the school district’s offer to increase compensation by 2 percent per officer. The district says it can’t afford to pay the extra $2 million that police departments in Apopka, Ocoee, Windermere, Winter Garden and Winter Park want. Orlando Sentinel.
Palm Beach: Lake Worth High School’s swimming pool has been shut down, in part by an invasion of green iguanas and the mess they make. District officials and county health department representatives say the pool’s filtration and chemical systems can’t keep up with the poop from the dozens of iguanas who have taken up residence on the pool grounds. Dealing with the damage caused by the invasive species is a rapidly growing problem throughout the state. “Are we going to do something about it? I think the better question is: Can we?” said University of Florida wildlife ecology professor Frank Mazzotti. “We’ve gotten to the point where we are way past the opportunity to control the population in general.” Palm Beach Post. WPTV. No agreement was reached Friday between the district and the union representing teachers on how much more educators would pay for health insurance premiums, and the two sides resume negotiations today. WPTV.
Duval: Jacksonville Beach Elementary School is the highest-rated in the state and has a wait list of more than 150 students. But the school’s PTO president, Stephanie Deverson, said two teachers have already been moved out of the school and a third is about to be. “They’re cutting teachers because ‘you’re enrollment’s down, you don’t have enough students to fill these classrooms’ … but we do,” she says. “There’s a waitlist. So why don’t you call those parents?” WJAX. Superintendent Christopher Bernier will hold seven town hall meetings between Tuesday and Jan. 23 at schools throughout the county to discuss the state of the school district and its future and collect feedback from residents. The district recently decided it would close three schools next summer as a cost-cutting move. The meetings are open to the public and will last 90 minutes. Florida Times-Union. WJXT.
St. Johns: Anthony Major, a job coach in the Life Work Program, has been named the school district’s school-related employee of the year. He’s now eligible for the statewide honor. St. Johns County School District.
Clay: A prolific book challenger got a few minutes in the national spotlight last week when he was interviewed on the politically satirical Daily Show. “A book with blatant sexual activity and over-the-top grotesque excessive profanity doesn’t belong in any of our schools,” said conservative activist Bruce Friedman, who also boasted that he’s challenged an average of a book a day and that “nothing’s going to stop me.” Show correspondent Michael Kosta called Friedman the “Michael Jordan of book banning.” USA Today Florida Network.
Hernando: School board members are expected to decide Tuesday whether to remove or restrict three school books. All were challenged by Julie Thomas for having inappropriate sexual content. A review committee recommended that all three remain in schools but with restrictions based on grade levels. The books are The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Graceling by Kristen Cashore, and Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart. Hernando Today.
Highlands: Both of the top administrators at Lake Placid Elementary School were recently honored by the district. Courtney Floyd was named principal of the year and Patricia Smith was chosen as assistant principal of the year. Both are now eligible for statewide awards. Highlands County School District.
Sumter: Andrew Underhill, who teaches English language arts and is the debate and drama club coach at Wildwood Middle School, has been named the school district’s teacher of the year. He’s now eligible for the statewide award. Sumter County School District.
Colleges and universities: University of Florida trustees could decide this week to build a graduate school campus at an unidentified site in downtown Jacksonville. Florida Times-Union. A UF information technology worker has been arrested and accused of stealing school computers and selling them on eBay. Charles Timothy Wyland is charged with grand theft, petty theft and dealing in stolen property. WCJB.
Legislative education plans: The state senator who will chair the Education Appropriations Committee on PreK-12 for the next two years plans to continue broadening access to school choice with more charter high school options and increasing the number of home-schooled students taking advantage of the scholarship programs. Sen. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, also says he’s looking for ways to continue protecting students from social media dangers. Florida Politics.
Opinions on schools: School choice is not about devaluing public schools; it’s about valuing students and empowering families. Ilen Perez Valdez, Orlando Sentinel. It’s clear that our assignment as adults is this: Make sure our schools engage all kids, no matter their background or where they live. Every school can be a place for connection, rigorous learning, even joy. And when kids are prepared for the future, our country is, too. Elisa Villanueva Beard, The 74. I was trying and failing to teach literature to my high school class. Then I discovered the plays of August Wilson. Tom Deignan, Chalkbeat.
