Around the state: Eliminating property taxes has turned into one of the legislative session’s hottest topics, a sex education curriculum that included information on avoiding pregnancy has been dropped by the Palm Beach County School District, the Pinellas school district says its police officers won’t enforce federal immigration law even though the police chief agreed to do so, Lee’s school board bans all cell phone use by students during the school day starting next fall, and a Palm Beach County high school student died at school last week after a medical emergency of an undisclosed nature. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: Enforcement of citations from the school bus camera program has been suspended by Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz after complaints from drivers who said they have done nothing wrong but still received tickets. Miami Herald. Perla Tabares Hantman, a school board member for 26 years who was elected board chair 14 times before retiring in 2022, has died at the age of 88. Miami Herald. Miami Laker.
Hillsborough: A teacher at the Idea Hope Charter School in Tampa has been arrested and accused of having a sexual relationship with a minor. Deputies said Vernon White Jr., 32, and a 17-year-old who was not a student at the school performed sex acts on each other last summer. White has been placed on administrative leave. WFTS. WTSP. Tampa Bay Times.
Palm Beach: A sex education course that included information on helping students avoid pregnancy, disease and dating violence has been dropped by the school district after it couldn’t get approval for the curriculum from the state. The decision leaves only high-schoolers and 5th- and 6th-graders to learn about sex through the regular science curriculum. Sun Sentinel. WPEC. A Wellington High School student died Thursday on campus after an undisclosed medical emergency. A school official said school counselors, psychologists and grief counselors are available to offer support to students. Palm Beach Post. WPBF. WPEC.
Duval: A substitute teacher has been arrested and accused of encouraging students at the Tiger Academy YMCA in Jacksonville to beat up a classmate last month. Geanene White, 57, is charged with child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. WJXT. WJAX. Some parents are questioning the adequacy of the training school employees receive to administer insulin to students after one of those employees described her recent experience. WJXT.
Lee: All cell phones and other communication devices must be turned off and stored in students’ backpacks starting in the fall, school board members decided last week. Current policy gives principals the authority to ban phones during the school day, but only Gateway High School has done so. WINK. WBBH. WGCU.
Pinellas: School police will not enforce federal immigration law, according to school officials, even though the district’s police chief signed a deal to do so. Chief Luke Williams did not have the authority to make that decision, said district officials. Tampa Bay Times. Florida Phoenix. Axios. Florida Politics. The private Salt Rock Community School in the East Lake area of Tarpon Springs has switched its cafeteria food to all plant-based. Vegan meals are even available to take home for dinner. WUSF.
Seminole: A Seminole High School paraprofessional has been arrested and accused of battery and child abuse for allegedly spraying water from a bottle into the lap of a special education student. Tyrone Bouie, 34, has been placed on administrative leave. WKMG. WFTV.
Volusia: The school district and DeBary city officials are squabbling over the location of a proposed replacement for the aging Enterprise Elementary School, which is the only school in the 23,000-resident city. The district’s choice was rejected by city officials, and the city’s preferred location was called unsuitable by the district. Meanwhile, potential sites for a new school are disappearing as the city continues to grow. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
St. Johns: Sree Vidya, a 14-year-old from Alice B. Landrum Middle School in Ponte Vedra Beach, has won the First Coast Spelling Bee to qualify for the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May. WJXT.
Sarasota: A retired ROTC instructor at Venice High School has been arrested and accused of battery of students at the school. Frank Troxel, 61, touched the buttocks and breasts of several students, according to school district police. WFLA.
Clay: The state of the 42,000-student school district is strong, Superintendent David Broskie said in his annual assessment. A 95% high school graduation rate, an A grade from the state, and recognition from the Florida Department of Education as an academically high performing district are among the reasons Broskie said, “Clay County Schools is not just a good school system, it’s a great school system.” Clay Today.
Martin: As many as 180 students were affected by a glitch in the SAT test given Saturday at Martin County and South Fork high schools, and may have to retake it. A technical issue required students to log out and restart the digital testing app used to take the test before completing their check-in. Those who didn’t may have had their tests submitted automatically, regardless of where they were on the exam. TCPalm.
Indian River: Superintendent David Moore was one of three runners-up for the national superintendent of the year award. Walter Gonsoulin Jr., of Jefferson County, Ala., schools, was the choice of the School Superintendents Association. TCPalm.
Citrus: Enrollment in district schools has declined by 334 students this year and now stands at 15,007, according to a report from district planning and growth director Chuck Dixon. He said 292 students switched from public schools to home-schooling. Citrus County Chronicle.
Nassau: Nature is the classroom at Wild Oak Explorers in Fernandina Beach, an enrichment provider that gives mostly home-schooled students access to the outdoors and a lot of freedom to decide what they will do out there. Students ranging from toddlers to teens roam an 8-acre patch of pines, ponds, and trails two to four days a week for four hours at a time. “This is their playground,” said Stacey Tappan, a certified forest teacher who started Wild Oak in 2019. NextSteps.
Monroe: The school district has begun advertising for a superintendent to replace the retiring Theresa Axford. It’s offering a salary of $175,000 to $250,000 a year and wants candidates to commit to at least three years in the role. Key West Citizen.
Property tax push: A push in the Legislature to phase out property taxes over eight years is gathering momentum, according to political officials and observers. “We are here on the second day of the regular session of 2025 to announce the beginning of the end of property taxes in the free state of Florida,” said Rep. Ryan Chamberlin, R-Belleview. The biggest unanswered question on the issue is how the state would raise the approximately $50 billion in property taxes generated each year for schools and government services if the tax is eliminated. USA Today Florida Network. Orlando Sentinel. Sun Sentinel. WPEC. Palm Beach Post.
Also in the Legislature: The House Government Operations Subcommittee has cleared a bill asking voters to approve changes to the ballot initiative process, including requiring all petition collectors to be state citizens and shortening the time allowed to turn in petitions from 30 days to 10 after the voter signs the form. A companion bill also was filed in the Senate. Miami Herald. News Service of Florida. A bill that would expand services for autistic students was approved last week by a second committee and has to clear just one more committee before a full Senate vote. Central Florida Public Media. Teachers accused of a wide variety of crimes, including grooming, would have to be removed by school districts within 48 hours of the notification under a bill filed by state Rep. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville. Florida Politics.
Around the nation: President Trump is expected to issue an executive order soon that will instruct new Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education,” according to a draft of the text. The action will have to be approved by Congress. Education Week. Politico Florida. What does the U.S. Department of Education do? Associated Press. Trump is also preparing an order to exclude public sector workers from the student loan forgiveness program if they are employed at organizations the administration believes “engage in activities that have a substantial illegal purpose.” Politico Florida. A national survey suggests there is widespread bipartisan support for civics education in schools. The 74.
Opinions on schools: Improve the learning of math or reading in Florida’s K-12 schools? Naw, says the Florida Legislature, let’s focus on cursive writing instead. Paul Cottle, Bridge to Tomorrow. Fewer than 100 people — many tied to special interest groups — are behind the increasing wave of school censorship we’ve seen since 2021. A proposed bill would give those people even more control over what’s available to students, no matter where they live. Stephana Ferrell, Orlando Sentinel. It’s easy to defend parental rights in education when parents make choices you agree with, but true support means defending those rights even when you don’t. Logan Calendine, RealClear Education. Emails contradict President Trump’s claim in a speech last week that the Leon County School District assisted a 13-year-old student’s social transition from female to male without telling the parents. Reason. PolitiFact.
