Around the state: Members of the House are working on reforms to better track state K-12 scholarship students, a challenged book’s potential literary value could not be considered under a bill approved by a committee, a bill requiring students to watch a video showing how human embryos develop and another expanding Bright Futures scholarships eligibility to students who graduate out of state because their enlisted parents are deployed also advance, Escambia school board members react coolly to a proposal to combine two elementary schools, and at least seven applications have been received for the St. Johns County school superintendent’s job. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: A pre-K teacher at Lorah Park Elementary School in Miami has been reassigned for allegedly taping a 5-year-old student’s mouth shut to keep her quiet. The unnamed teacher will be out of the classroom at least until an investigation is completed. WSVN.
Broward: Former school superintendent Robert Runcie’s trial on a perjury charge has been scheduled to start June 9. He was indicted in 2021 by a statewide grand jury investigating school safety that accused him of lying when he said he hadn’t been prepped by anyone about his testimony. Runcie was being questioned about the district’s former technology director who was indicted and charged with bribery, though the charge was dismissed last year. Runcie resigned shortly after his arrest. Sun Sentinel.
St. Johns: At least seven educators have applied to become the next school superintendent, and the window to apply doesn’t close until March 28. “Two or three of them look pretty strong,” said school board member Beverly Slough. “We expect some internal applicants before it’s over with.” Superintendent Tim Forson is retiring in June after nine years of leading the district. WJXT.
Escambia: A proposal to combine N.B. Cook and O.J. Semmes elementary schools got a cool reception from the school board at Tuesday’s workshop session. Both schools would remain open as performing arts magnet schools, with K-3 students attending Semmes and grades 4-6 at N.B. Cook. District officials characterized the plan as a way to stem enrollment losses, but board members say more details are needed before it can be seriously considered. Pensacola News Journal. Superintendent Keith Leonard says he hopes the Legislature passes a bill prohibiting students from using cell phones during the school day. He said the district has been considering buying pouches to place phones in, but calls that expensive, or a device that blocks cell phones. “But that might infringe upon people’s rights. So we certainly haven’t gone very far with that,” he said. WEAR.
Colleges and universities: The former diversity officer at the University of South Florida has resigned after he recently made comments suggesting that while the school’s DEI-related names and titles had changed to conform to state law, his work had not changed. Dr. Haywood Brown was USF Health’s senior associate vice president for academic and faculty affairs and vice dean of faculty affairs. Tampa Bay Times.
House tackles choice: House members are drafting a proposal they hope will better track students who are approved for state K-12 scholarships and what schools they’re attending. Public school districts have complained that the scholarship money has not always been following the child as intended in the universal school choice program, with some students who have scholarships still attending public schools, and private schools saying there have been funding delays that stress their finances. A statewide ID system for scholarship recipients is part of the proposal, as are a new cross-checking protocol and a requirement that the Florida Department of Education not disburse funds until duplicated enrollment problems are resolved. Politico Florida.
Book challenge change: A bill forbidding school districts from considering a book’s potential literary value if it’s been challenged as being “harmful to minors” was approved Tuesday by the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice. “Harmful to minors” would be expanded to include books depicting “nudity, sexual conduct, or sexual excitement” that “predominantly appeals to prurient, shameful, or morbid interest” or is “patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community.” Critics say the bill will encourage districts to remove books from schools as a precautionary measure. Politico Florida. Florida Phoenix. WUSF. WJAX.
Embryonic video provision: A sweeping education bill that includes a provision requiring students to watch a video showing fetal development as part of their curricula before they graduate was approved Tuesday by the House Student Academic Success Subcommittee. The bill also adds the learning disorder dyscalculia to the list of teacher certification specialties, prohibits schools and districts from spending money on anything that promotes political or social activism, and allows charter and lab school teachers to qualify for the state’s teacher of the year award. Florida Phoenix. Politico Florida.
Also in the Legislature: Students who graduate outside the state because their enlisted parent is deployed overseas would be eligible for Bright Futures scholarships under a bill that is quickly moving through the Legislature. SB 270 has one more committee to clear before getting a vote in the full Senate. A companion House bill is in its first committee. Florida Politics. Central Florida Public Media. Three bills on student health have been approved in committees this week. SB 1070 would require student-athletes to get an electrocardiogram, SB 430 would require all public schools to have at least one automated external defibrillator in a clearly marked location, and SB 772 would allow schools to keep glucagon on campus to treat diabetes emergencies. Central Florida Public Media. WFSU.
Politics and education: If U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, a Republican from Naples, is elected governor in 2026, his wife Erika vows to support education that is “parent-directed.” Erika Donalds is the founder of OptimaEd, a private, online school, and a former Collier County School Board member. “My dream for Florida and actually for the whole nation is that every dollar that is spent on education is parent-directed, and I think we’re the closest state in the country doing that,” she said. Florida Politics.
Opinions on schools: Indian River County schools are proving that the right partnership between schools and community organizations can not only help students recover from learning losses, but also actually accelerate achievement. David Moore and Barbara Hammond, The 74.
