Around the state: Conversions of public schools into charters could be simplified under a bill filed for the legislative session, Broward County’s inspector general is expected to take over investigations of school district activities next month, Broward school fights are reportedly down 17 percent since the use of cell phones in classes was banned, nine Leon schools have gotten or are getting upgrades through the half-cent sales tax increase, and a Hillsborough County high school student notches perfect scores on the PSAT, SAT and ACT tests. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: Broward’s Office of Inspector General will soon assume the authority to investigate “misconduct and gross mismanagement” by school district officials, employees and vendors. School board members recently agreed to pay the office an initial fee of $659,810, and the county auditors are expected to begin operations next month. Sun Sentinel. School fights have declined 17 percent since the district banned students’ use of cell phones during the school day, says school board member Allen Zeman. WTVJ. A teacher at McNicol Middle School in Hollywood has been reassigned while the district investigates allegations that she choked an 11-year-old student during a field trip. WSVN.
Hillsborough: A Strawberry Crest High School junior recently accomplished the rare trifecta of earning perfect scores on the PSAT, SAT and ACT tests. Adwaith Praveen, 17, attributes his success to reading both fiction and nonfiction. He advises other students to study and be prepared to take the tests, and to “stay calm, take a deep breath, and get some good sleep beforehand.” WFTS.
Duval: The father of an Atlantic Coast High School student who died in 2023 after a nut-related allergic reaction at a school function is suing the school board. Steven Brown claims his daughter Kayleen, a 17-year-old senior, died because school employees negligently provided baklava with pistachios despite the district being aware of the girl’s allergy. Kayleen fell into a coma after the April 27 event and died three days later. WJXT. WTLV.
Pinellas: A years-long legal dispute between a large charter school company and its child-care provider is close to being finalized. Plato Academy Schools, which has about 4,000 students in the Tampa Bay area, has agreed to pay $30 million to buy two properties in New Port Richey and St. Petersburg that it had previously leased from Superior Schools, which has operated Plato’s pre-K and before- and after-school programs since 2019 but had been accused by Plato of violating state safety guidelines. Parents have been caught in the middle since Plato says it can’t get a pre-K license to operate in time for the spring semester. Tampa Bay Times.
Leon: Cafeterias, gyms and classrooms have been or are being upgraded at nine schools as part of the district’s $180 million capital outlay plan that’s financed by revenues from a half-penny sales tax. Some should be completed this year, and completion of the rest is expected by 2027. Tallahassee Democrat.
Alachua: Students at Oak View Middle School in Newberry have been advised by officials to dress warmly during the expected cold snap this week because the heaters aren’t working. Space heaters have been placed in classrooms, but the cafeteria remains without heat. WCJB.
Bay: Some parents have started a petition drive protesting the school district’s new dress code that limits the colors students can wear to school. They say it is too extreme and takes away students’ freedom of expression. District officials say it improves student safety because it helps them easily identify who shouldn’t be on campus. WMBB. The chief education officer of Bay Haven Charter Academy in Panama City, 55-year-old Frankie Nelson Stephenson, has been arrested and accused of possessing child pornography. Deputies say there is no evidence that any students at the school were in the images. WJHG.
Citrus: A middle school principal has been reassigned after his arrest last week on suspicion of driving under the influence. Crystal River Middle School principal Brian Lancaster was driving erratically when he was pulled over, deputies said. An interim principal has been appointed. Citrus County Chronicle.
Legislative bills: Converting charter schools could be simplified under a bill filed in the Legislature on Monday by state Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Pensacola, that revises who may apply to do so. SB 140 would also limit a school board’s ability to buy property by requiring districts to submit five-year plans before buying land and by prohibiting a board from buying property if enrollment has declined in the most recent five years. The 60-day session begins March 4. Florida Senate. A bill has been re-introduced in the Legislature by state Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, to compensate Marcus Button by up to $1.2 million for catastrophic injuries he suffered when a car he was a passenger in was hit by a Pasco County School bus in 2006. Settlement bills for Button have been filed annually since 2011, but have not cleared the Legislature. Florida Senate.
Black students, police force: Black students have overwhelmingly been on the receiving end of police force during school confrontations in the past 10 years, according to a study by the Advancement Project. Eighty-four percent of the students involved in violent incidents with school officers have been black. More than 1,000 students have been involved in the past 10 years, including 460 in the 2023-2024 academic year. Florida reported the most incidents last year with 53. Miami Times.
Opinions on schools: Will this be the year that there is some serious thinking going on in the Legislature about how to address the state’s math issues? Paul Cottle, Bridge to Tomorrow. Repealing a tuition waiver for undocumented migrant children would do nothing to secure the border or make lawless companies more accountable. It simply would punish the weakest link on the chain — those children who were brought to the United States illegally through no fault of their own. John Hill, Tampa Bay Times. There are lots of reasons — money, student health, emergency preparation — why every school district in Florida ought to switch to the electric buses now rolling around Dixie County. Craig Pittman, Florida Phoenix.
