Another day off: Cold, icy and snowy weather is canceling schools in 33 of the state’s 67 counties today. Shuttered are the Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Nassau, Okaloosa, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Wakulla, Walton and Washington public school districts. Madison is the only district that has announced it is also closed Thursday. Florida Department of Education. Lake City Reporter. Florida Times-Union. WJAX. Independent Florida Alligator. Mainstreet Daily News. WCJB. WTXL. WCTV. Palatka Daily News.
Around the state: A bill has been filed that would increase the instructional time required at state’s private preschools, a judge has issued a temporary restraining order to prohibit Brevard’s school board from enforcing restrictions on public comments at meetings, Lee school officials are proposing changes to school bus routes that would mean new start and end times at some schools, early dismissal days in Hernando schools will be scheduled on Fridays instead of Wednesdays, and Gadsden’s school superintendent is lobbying the state for $40 million to finish a K-8 school now under construction. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: Construction has begun on a $30 million building for the J.C. Bermudez Senior High School in Doral. The three-story, 85,000-square-foot addition will include space for 617 students. Completion is expected by June 2026. WTVJ.
Lee: District officials are proposing changing bus routes to streamline operations and help drivers get to schools on time. It would also change start or end times, which could allow increased instructional time at some schools. If the plan is approved by school board members, it will go into effect in the fall. WFTX.
Brevard: A U.S. district judge has issued a temporary restraining order to prevent the school board from enforcing challenged restrictions on public comments at board meetings. A board policy that targeted speech it described as “abusive,” “obscene” and “personally directed” was declared unconstitutional by a three-judge panel of an appeals court in October, but has not been changed or eliminated by the board. The order is in effect until Feb. 4. News Service of Florida.
Sarasota: The school district’s tentative five-year strategic plan includes major renovation, remodeling and capital outlay projects to bolster aging facilities and deal with student capacity problems. While some portable classrooms during construction are unavoidable, district officials said they plan to reduce them from 16% of classrooms now to 0% by 2029. Charlotte Sun.
Alachua: A 13-year-old student at Westwood Middle School in Gainesville was arrested Tuesday and accused of having a weapon on campus. Police said they found the loaded handgun in the boy’s backpack. WCJB. Gainesville Sun. Mainstreet Daily News.
Bay: Goals for the next five school years have been set for the district. They include improving graduation rates by 5 percentage points, raising overall academic performance, attracting qualified employees, and improving efficiency. The school board votes on the plan next month, and if it’s approved it will go into effect July 1. WMBB.
Hernando: Half-days for professional development have been moved from Wednesdays to Fridays by the school board. Chair Shannon Rodriguez said having those days on Wednesday disrupts the week, and moving them to Friday offers an “almost three-day weekend.” Suncoast News. An 11-year-old was hospitalized with serious injuries Tuesday afternoon when she was hit by a car while walking home from her school bus stop. WFLA. WTSP. WTVT. WFTS.
Jackson: Beginning teachers would be paid $45,000 a year, an increase of $3,000, under a recently negotiated contract agreement, new Superintendent Hunter Nolen said in assessing the state of the district. The district is also considering restarting its driver’s education program and beginning an ROTC program. WMBB.
Wakulla: School officials are working through the logistics of complying with a state law requiring later start times for middle and high schools by 2026. Superintendent Rick Myhre said any changes made will have an impact on elementary schools as well. “If we push back the start time an hour, the decision is before our community and our board — do we start our elementary schools at 10, or are we going to start elementaries earlier?” he asked. It will also affect parents, school employees, day-care providers and after-school activities, Myhre said. WTXL.
Gadsden: Superintendent Elijah Key said the district is $40 million short of the money it needs to move forward on the construction of a new K-8 school in Quincy. The district has already received $70 million from the state for the school and started construction in August, but rising costs have turned it into a $110 million project. Key is asking the Legislature to allocate the rest of the money during the upcoming session so the school can open by next year. WFSU.
In the Legislature: A bill has been filed for the legislative session that would increase the number of required instructional hours in a year for private school pre-K students from 540 to at least 1,440. Summer school pre-K programs would have to bump up instructional hours from 300 to at least 480. Florida Senate.
Around the nation: The Trump administration has given the Department of Homeland Security authorization to go into schools to arrest immigrants who are in the country illegally. Federal policy had been to treat schools and child-care centers, churches and hospitals as “sensitive” or “protected” locations where immigration enforcement would take place only when there is an immediate danger to the public. Chalkbeat. WEAR.
Opinions on schools: Politics has straddled the United States with one of the most costly and ineffective school systems in the world. When it comes to the education of your children and grandchildren, it’s not a game you want to play. Matthew Ladner, NextSteps. This legislative season is a timely opportunity to pass universal school choice bills so all families statewide can access education alternatives from their government-run, teacher union-controlled, residentially-assigned public school. Keri D. Ingraham, Real Clear Education.