Around the state: Senate committees approve bills relaxing child labor laws for teenage students and prohibiting schools from flying flags with political viewpoints, a vote to ban school districts from serving ultra-processed foods in schools ran into opposition in a Senate committee and was postponed, a bill allowing gun owners to carry openly on college campuses was rejected by another Senate panel, Polk County schools begin planning for a 2026 property tax referendum to improve teacher pay, Alachua school officials are scrambling with a funding shortfall caused by declining enrollment, and Brevard’s school board bans three novels for sexual content. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: A Volusia County man who said he hadn’t been in Miami-Dade for 20 years recently received a $225 ticket for illegally passing a stopped school bus in Miami Beach. Deputies said the photo taken by a camera on the bus showed a scooter with a license tag registered to Ray Shover passing the bus. But the photo was so blurry that the numbers were illegible. Shover appealed, and the ticket was dismissed after further review. WKMG.
Hillsborough: A substitute teacher at Webb Middle School in Tampa was arrested Tuesday and accused of battery. Deputies said Benjamin Barnes, 26, used racially tinged language, tried to instigate a fight and grabbed a 14-year-old student’s cellphone out of his hands after an argument. WTVT.
Polk: School board members have begun planning a campaign for a property tax referendum in November 2026 to improve salaries for teachers. The district has struggled to recruit and retain teachers because most of the adjacent districts pay more. “Our first-year entry-level salaries are not competitive with the surrounding districts at this point,” said Superintendent Frederick Heid. “This would allow us to help offset and address those things.” Key decisions to be made include how much of a tax to ask for, how long it would run and how it would be distributed. The board wants to get it submitted to the county commission to have the ballot language approved at least six months prior to the election. Lakeland Now.
Brevard: A book review committee’s recommendation that three young adult novels be removed from school libraries because of sexual content has been unanimously approved by the school board. Breathless by Jennifer Niven, Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez and Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo will be permanently banned from all public schools in the county. Florida Today.
St. Lucie: Construction began Tuesday on another new school as the district struggles to keep up with growth. Enrollment is increasing by about 1,500 students every year, straining existing schools. “The bottom line is we’re busting at the seams here in St. Lucie County with our public schools,” said Superintendent Jon Prince. The latest school, a K-8 in the Tradition area named Western Grove, is expected to cost about $70 million and be ready within a year. District officials also said Legacy High School opens this fall, and Fort Pierce Westwood Academy is projected to open in January. WPTV. TCPalm.
Alachua: District officials said they overestimated student enrollment, which means the state will cut funding for the district by $6.5 million for the rest of this fiscal year, and by $8 million for the next school year. Enrollment is down 467 students right now, and is projected to further decline by nearly 700 in 2025-2026. “We are overspending up the wazoo,” Superintendent Kamela Patton told the school board at a recent meeting. She said a plan that would involve a hiring freeze on new positions and closing every district vacancy would be brought to the board for consideration April 1. Alachua Chronicle.
Flagler: District 1 school board member Derek Barrs has been nominated by President Trump to become the administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Barrs has extensive experience in trucking and transportation. His appointment would have to be confirmed by the Senate. Barrs lost a school board race last August, but was appointed to the board two months later by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Florida Politics.
Colleges and universities: New College of Florida would take “full stewardship of the 32-acre campus next door” at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, according to an e-mail detailing plans for the schools to merge. New College would take ownership of a six-story, 100,000-square-foot residence hall and student center that was recently built at USF-SM, which has about 2,000 students to New College’s 800. WUSF.
Child labor law changes: A bill that would relax child labor laws for teenagers was approved Tuesday in a 5-4 vote by the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee despite concerns about the effects it might have on students as young as 14 years old. It removes restrictions on how long and how late 16- and 17-year-olds can work, as well as 14- and 15-year-olds who are home-schooled, attend virtual school or have an exemption from a school superintendent. The companion bill in the House has yet to be heard by a committee. Politico Florida. News Service of Florida. USA Today Florida Network. Axios. Florida Phoenix.
School flag ban: Flags that represent political viewpoints would not be allowed to fly at public schools and government offices under a proposal that was approved Tuesday by the Senate Committee on Community Affairs. This is the third attempt to get a bill like this through the Legislature. It’s drawn protests from the LGBTQ community, which contends it’s aimed at cities that fly the rainbow flag every June for Pride Month. The bill has one more committee stop in the Senate, but the House companion bill hasn’t gotten a committee hearing yet. Florida Phoenix. Florida Politics. The Floridian.
Ultra-processed foods: A proposal to ban school districts from serving ultra-processed foods, such as soft drinks and artificially colored snacks, ran into a reluctant Senate committee Tuesday and a vote was temporarily postponed. Lobbyists for the food and beverage industry oppose the bill, saying it would disrupt their businesses and cause consumers to think their food isn’t safe. Bill sponsor Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, said the bill “would send a signal to the food and beverage lobby that we want healthy food for our kids during the school days. We are talking about government responsibility for government-purchased food.” Miami Herald.
Also in the Legislature: A bill that would have allowed gun owners to carry weapons on college campuses died Tuesday on a 4-3 vote in the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. Florida Politics. Spectrum News 13. WFSU. Video cameras would be required in all self-contained public school classrooms that have at least one nonverbal student with a disability receiving special education services for at least half of the day, under a bill approved Tuesday by a House committee. The Capitolist. The House Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee has approved a bill offering grants for high schools and state colleges to create courses for students who want to build roads and bridges. WMNF.
Around the nation: States led by Republicans are lobbying the Trump administration to consolidate their federal aid into a single grant that also limits spending requirements. “All states would like more flexibility and freedom,” said Jim Blew, a former Education Department official from President Trump’s first term. “This would be a full block grant, no strings attached.” Associated Press.
Opinions on schools: On almost every health and wellness measure we fielded, children who have their own smartphones fared significantly better, or at least no worse, than kids who don’t have their own smartphones. Justin D. Martin and Logan T. Rance, Tampa Bay Times. If federal education monies start flowing to the states as block grants, rural counties that welcome the spread of education choice options could be major beneficiaries. William Mattox, Florida Politics.
