Around the state: An Indian River elementary school will be converted next fall into a K-8 charter school with a classical-education curriculum, Broward school board members give tentative approval to a series of changes to underenrolled schools, Orange school board members aren’t happy with having to consider replacing school resource officers in 30 schools with armed guardians because of costs, a bill is introduced that would grant in-state tuition for students who are incarcerated, a Pinellas schools book review committee decides to keep a challenged book in school libraries, and Volusia’s school board chair apologizes for disparaging remarks she made about some district students. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: A school boundary committee’s proposal to change the focus of six district schools as part of the “Redefining Schools” plan to reverse enrollment declines got a generally good reception at Tuesday’s board meeting. Another part of the plan is to turn Broward Estates Elementary in Lauderhill into an early-education center, which board member Jeff Holness called “a winner all around.” Superintendent Howard Hepburn will take the input and make his recommendations today, which he said will be “very similar” to the plan discussed Tuesday, and they will go before the board in January. WTVJ. WFOR. WSVN. Three Whiddon Rogers Educational Center students were hospitalized after being pepper-sprayed by police who were trying to break up a fight at the school Tuesday afternoon. WSVN.
Orange: School board members and parents are both unhappy that the board may have to choose between school resource officers and armed guardians for 30 schools in five cities because of costs. “Is anyone else sick to their stomach that we have to have this conversation?” asked board member Angie Gallo. Switching a guardian program will take up to six months, so a board decision will have to be made by January to have full coverage by next fall. WKMG. WOFL. WESH. WFTV. The school district’s new sex education curriculum for middle school students, which was recently approved by the Florida Department of Education, emphasizes abstinence and eliminates previous topics such as the reproductive system, contraception and consent, according to a review. Popular Information. District officials are making plans to build a $38.22 million preK-5 school on the western edge of the county that would accommodate up to 837 students when it opens in the fall of 2026. Orlando Business Journal. WFTV.
Palm Beach: High school graduation dates, times and locations were announced Tuesday for the Class of 2025. The first of the 33 ceremonies is May 6, and the last is May 22. All will be live-streamed on the district’s YouTube channel. Palm Beach Post.
Duval: A school board decision to spend $7,000 to send five members to a training conference run by the School Boards for Academic Excellence and Florida Coalition of Conservative School Board Members is drawing some pushback from parents over the cost at a time when the district is facing an enormous budget deficit and because they believe the training will be partisan. WTLV. WJAX. The first of seven town hall meetings between Superintendent Christopher Bernier and members of the public was held Tuesday, with Bernier outlining the $100 million budget gap and vowing to attack it by cutting things, such as underenrolled schools, instead of employees. The next meeting is Thursday. WTLV.
Lee: School board members approved spending $1.2 million from the district’s capital fund to repair two schools damaged by hurricanes, but will pursue reimbursement from FEMA. Fort Myers Beach Elementary School remains closed. Sanibel School students returned to school last week, but repair work is continuing. WINK.
Pinellas: A committee of teachers and parents unanimously agreed Tuesday to reject a challenge by four parents to remove The Artivist from elementary school libraries because of its political content. “There is nothing objectionable in this book. This is fine to read,” said committee member David Schell, a teacher at Curtis Fundamental Elementary School in Dunedin. “It’s not telling anybody what to think. It’s allowing the community to think.” Tampa Bay Times.
Volusia: School board chair Jessie Thompson apologized at Tuesday’s board meeting for disparaging remarks she made about some Deltona High School students at a Moms for Liberty event in October. Thompson said she wouldn’t trust some students to fill her gas tank and that she found it hard to believe they graduated. Tuesday, she said it was a “poor choice of words” and said it was a “moment of growth.” Colleague Ruben Colon called for the board to reconsider its selection of Thompson as chair, a suggestion the board could consider in January. WOFL.
Lake: A pilot program to place vaping detection devices in bathrooms at East Ridge High School was approved this week by the school board. A grant will be used to cover the $97,000 cost, and the results from the East Ridge test will be evaluated before a decision is made about expanding the program to other schools. WOGX. WKMG.
Collier: Changes in school boundary lines were approved Tuesday by the school board, mostly to relieve overcrowding at some schools, improve traffic flow near others, and to address continued enrollment growth. WFTX.
Marion: A math teacher at Lake Weir High School has been arrested and accused of putting his hands around the neck of a female student and making sexually suggestive comments. Fred Donald Anderson, 50, faces simple battery charges and has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the results of the investigation. WESH. WKMG. WOFL. WCJB.
Sarasota: Powell-Davis Stadium at Venice High School is undergoing a $12 million upgrade that is expected to be completed by next July. But district officials expect the work to be done enough for next May’s graduation ceremony. WWSB.
Okaloosa: School officials’ priorities were presented this week to the legislative delegation. Among the requests were giving the district authority to impose alternative placement or expulsion in cases involving weapons charges, credible threats or unresolved safety concerns, re-examining the law setting later school start times, addressing teacher salary compression, and more. Get the Coast.
Bay: A new student dress code has been approved by the school board and will take effect in August. A notable change is that students who wear leggings must wear another article of clothing that covers their backsides. They also can wear jeans or khakis without tears in them, and shorts, skirts and dresses must be mid-thigh in length. WJHG. WMBB. Board members also agreed to suspend two employees accused of child neglect and abuse that occurred on a school bus, and begin termination proceedings against them. Paraprofessional Sylinda Goodman has been accused of striking children, and bus driver Althea Russell allegedly failed to intervene or report the abuse. WJHG.
Indian River: School board members approved the conversion of Pelican Island Elementary School in Sebastian into a classical-education magnet K-8 charter school to open next fall. Elementary students will focus on grammar, while middle school stresses logic. Students zoned for Pelican Island will be given the first option to remain at the magnet school. TCPalm.
Dixie: Twenty-three new electric school buses are now transporting district students. The buses were purchased with a $9 million rebate from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program. Mainstreet Daily News. WCJB. Dixie County School District.
Colleges and universities: At least one Valencia College official was leery of the propriety of Orange County Supervisor of Elections Glen Gilzean’s $2.1 million donation in taxpayer funds for scholarships. Now the school is ensnarled in a political scandal. College President Kathleen Plinske has said the school will return the money if asked, but it has not yet done so. Florida Politics. Sixteen-year-old Baylee Aguilar is the second-youngest graduate in the history of the University of South Florida. She majored in biology and now plans to attend veterinary school. WFLA. WFTS.
Tuition for incarcerated: A bill granting in-state tuition for jailed students has been introduced for the legislative session that begins March 4. Lawmakers passed a bill last year granting in-state tuition to prisoners, but Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed it, saying, “We should not reward criminal activity by providing inmates with the same benefits as law-abiding citizens.” Florida Phoenix.
Opinions on schools: With teachers burning out and parents opting out of conventional schools, more public school systems should explore the hybrid model offering families a school choice that provides increased flexibility. Eric Wearne and Tom Loud, The 74. The benefits of school choice are constrained by narrow standardized testing options, which influence curriculum and teaching approaches. State policymakers should provide for a diverse suite of testing choices at the K–12 and college entrance levels. Jeremy Wayne Tate, American Enterprise Institute.
