Around the state: Bills filed for the legislative session that begins next week would ban students’ use of cell phones during the school day and require schools to buy materials reflecting the president’s order that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed the Gulf of America, school districts around the state say the rapid growth in K-12 scholarships is causing them budgeting problems and lawmakers may consider changing the school funding formula, Franklin County’s high school graduation rate is revised upward by 12 percentage points after a state review, and contract negotiations resume today between Polk County teachers and school officials. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Duval: A school bus driver is being honored for saving the life of a monitor who collapsed while helping a disabled student in a wheelchair get on the bus. Pat King, who works for Durham School Services, performed CPR on her colleague for 20 minutes. The monitor is still recovering. WJAX.
Polk: Teachers union leaders and the school district resume contract negotiations today. Discussions have been going on since last June. Teachers are asking for raises ranging from 4.5% to 7%, and the district is offering 4%. The union is pushing the district to ask voters to approve a tax hike to boost salaries. WFLA.
Brevard: An item that wasn’t on the agenda dominated Tuesday’s school board meeting. Parents of disabled students expressed their concerns about a lawsuit brought by Florida and 16 other states against a federal regulation, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, that asks a court to declare its protections for disabled students unconstitutional because it was extended to recognize that gender dysphoria could be considered a “physical or mental impairment.” The suit is arguing for the elimination of Section 504, a position that worries the parents who count on the protections for their children. Florida Today.
Okaloosa: A former principal who was recommended for termination has resigned, according to school district documents. Scheree Martin, former principal at Okaloosa STEMM Academy and Okaloosa Regional Detention Center, had been accused of violating district policies. After an investigation, she was placed on paid suspension in November and subsequently resigned. Northwest Florida Daily News.
Leon: Five Nims Middle School students were suspended and kicked off the boys basketball team and the coach was fired for their actions during a brawl at a game with Cobb Middle last week. One of the students was arrested for punching the Cobb coach after the game. Superintendent Rocky Hanna said no decision has been reached about whether Nims would be allowed to play Cobb again if they are scheduled to meet in the playoffs. In another development, the board approved Hanna’s request to waive the district’s nepotism policy to allow Ricky Bell to be hired as the head football coach at Leon High. Bell’s son Riley is Leon’s athletic director. Tallahassee Democrat.
Bay: A paraprofessional at the Bozeman School has been arrested and accused of child abuse. Deputies said Debra May Groves, 31, used a belt to beat her 6-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter. She’s on leave during the investigation. WMBB.
Martin: District officials are expanding school choice options as a way to bolster declining enrollment. Offering such programs as robotics, computer science, criminal justice, culinary and more is aimed at attracting students who live outside the district. “We have the room one, we have the staff two, and the money is following that student, so the more kids we have in our seats, the more funding we have in our budget and the more services and programs we can offer to all of our kids,” said district spokesman Derek Lowe. WPEC.
Charlotte: Construction has begun on a new airport hangar for the aviation program at Charlotte High School in Punta Gorda. The hangar will give students seeking a career in some facet of the aviation industry a variety of hands-on opportunities. WINK. WBBH.
Wakulla: Wakulla High School students are partnering with Florida State University in a pre-apprenticeship program that gives them experience in workforce trades such as mechanics and welding. Classes for the seven students in the program began last semester at FSU. WTXL.
Flagler: A 14-year-old student at Indian Trails Middle School in Winter Springs has been arrested and accused of having a gun at a Matanzas High School basketball game in January. Deputies said the boy posted photos of himself with the gun from a school bathroom. WKMG. WOFL. WFTV. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Franklin: The district’s high school graduation rate was raised from 73% to 85% after a review by the Florida Department of Education. Superintendent Steve Lanier asked for the review after he and his staff determined the rate was inaccurate. Though the revised rate is still below the state average of 89.7%, it was 10 percentage points higher than the district’s 2023 rate. Apalachicola Times.
Scholarship and budgeting: The boom in the number of K-12 students receiving scholarships from the state is complicating the budgeting process for school districts, some superintendents are telling legislators. A projected increase of 74,000 students on scholarship next year would push the total number to about 540,000. Some public districts are considering closing or merging some schools, but midyear enrollment changes are causing issues. St. Lucie Superintendent Jon Prince. The district “can’t just shut down a school” when it loses 1,200 students, he said, because those students are scattered among all the district’s schools. The situation has lawmakers considering making changes to the state’s education funding formula. Politico Florida.
Cell phone limitations: Students’ use of cell phones would be prohibited during the school day under a bill filed this week for the 60-day legislative session that begins next Tuesday. HB 949 would also require schools to designate areas on campus where students can use their phones after they get permission from an administrator. The proposal was filed by state Rep. Demi Busatta, R-Coral Gables. WPBF.
Also in the Legislature: All school materials would have to be updated to reflect President Trump’s executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America in a bill proposed by state Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota. A similar bill was filed last week in the House. Orlando Sentinel. Florida Politics. News Service of Florida. High schools would have to hold career fairs annually where students can meet or interview with potential employers under a bill filed by state Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee. Florida Politics. “In God We Trust” would have to be displayed “on a 22 inch by 28 inch posterboard in a conspicuous location in each school library, cafeteria, gymnasium and main office” if the proposed HB 1009 is approved. News Service of Florida. A schedule for the first week of the legislative session has been released. News Service of Florida.
Around the nation: The commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, who oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress testing, has been placed on administrative leave by the Trump administration. No reason was given for removing Peggy Carr, whose six-year term began in 2021. Education Week. The 74.
Opinions on schools: It’s time to invest genuine energy and resources into creating interim assessments that provide actionable insights and align with research and the real world. Current assessments are standards-specific and knowledge-agnostic — the inverse of what research and experience tell us teachers and students need. Susan Pimentel and David Liben, The 74.
