Around the state: Standards schools must reach to get A grades from the state would be gradually increased under a bill approved by a House committee, another bill would require teachers to self-report criminal offenses to school districts within 48 hours, 13-year-old students are added to a bill reducing work restrictions on teen employees, a book about sexual abuse and incest was removed from school libraries by the Duval school board, and more than 425,000 Florida students have applied for state scholarships with the deadline to apply just under a month away. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Duval: School board members decided Tuesday to permanently remove a school library book that discusses incest and sexual abuse. Identical, by Ellen Hopkins, was initially removed after being challenged for sexual content, but a book review committee recommended it be reinstated. Florida Times-Union. WJXT. By the time the 2025-2026 school year begins in August, Ponte Vedra High School will have a new artificial turf athletic field. The cost of about $1.3 million is twice what a grass field costs, but annual maintenance spending should be far less. Jacksonville Today.
Lee: School officials cut budgets for all departments by 5%, Superintendent Denise Carlin said, to get to $15.9 million in savings. Carlin said the money would be used to improve teacher salaries and school safety. WINK.
Pasco: An agreement has been reached between the school district and the Patel Foundation for Global Understanding to build a new charter high school in the Trinity community by the fall of 2026. The Patel group will pay $875,000 for the site, limit enrollment to 1,300, prioritize Pasco students for enrollment, put at least $10 million toward construction, have a local board and dedicate the school to the district if it ever closes. Tampa Bay Times.
Brevard: Formal charges have been filed against a former district principal and teacher in connection with a house party in January that more than 100 students attended. Elizabeth Hill-Brodigan, former principal at Roosevelt Elementary School in Cocoa Beach, is charged with child neglect, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and holding an open house party. Karly Anderson, who taught at the school, is charged with disorderly conduct and disorderly intoxication. Both are on administrative leave. Florida Today. WOFL. WKMG. WESH.
Lake: The school system has been named the top medium-sized district in the state by the Cambridge University International Education group for “expanding access to high-quality, rigorous coursework for all students” and preparing them for postsecondary education and the workforce. Hillsborough County was named the top big district in the state by Cambridge, and Putnam the best small district. Daily Commercial.
Alachua: Students lobbied the school board at Tuesday’s meeting to boost teacher pay. “Our teachers not being paid enough. Our teachers having to leave and get other jobs does affect us as well, especially when I am having long-term substitutes for several classes,” said Santa Fe High School student Oliver Flanagan. “It leads to a downfall in the test grades that everyone cares about so much.” WCJB.
Charlotte: School board member Kim Amontree announced Tuesday that she’s going to run for the District 4 seat on the county commission. She was re-elected to the school board in 2024, and said she’ll hold onto her school board seat until November 2026. Charlotte Sun.
Monroe: One-third of the school district’s teaching staff is new to the Keys, Superintendent Theresa Axford told the school board at a recent meeting, which requires extra time devoted to training them how to use the instructional materials. Key West Citizen.
Jefferson: With English proficiency scores now well below the state average, district officials have launched a literacy initiative to encourage students to read for an hour every night. Just 7.5% of district students were judged to be reading-proficient in the 2023-2024 school year, compared to 17% statewide. WTXL.
School grading changes: Getting an A grade from the state could get tougher for schools under a bill that would gradually raise the standards needed to earn high grades over the next 10 years. Right now, elementary schools have to earn 62% of available points from the Florida Department of Education to receive an A, while middle and high schools have to earn 64% of the points. “Some could argue that the school grades have worked because of the number of A schools and B schools that have increased,” said bill sponsor state Rep. Susan Valdés, R-Tampa. “However, the student performance over that period a little bit has declined based on the NAEP scores that we just recently had.” Politico Florida.
Child labor law: A bill that would allow minors 14-17 to work more than 30 hours a week, eight hours a day without a break, or eight hours the day before a school day was amended Tuesday in the House. Students would no longer be permitted to work past 10 p.m. before school days, and the law would also allow 13-year-olds to work on farms during the summer before they turn 14. The exception for 13-year-olds was added at the request of former state Sen. Randy Fine on behalf of his son David. Florida Phoenix. Florida Politics. Floridian Press. WFSU.
Discipline for teachers: Teachers would be required to self-report their arrests to school districts within 48 hours and districts would have to remove them from schools and notify parents whose children had direct contact with the teacher within 24 hours of receiving that notification, according to a bill approved Tuesday by a Senate committee. Florida Politics. WJXT.
Also in the Legislature: Members of the Senate Rules Committee cleared a bill Tuesday requiring schools to buy only materials that refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. Florida Politics. WPLG. A House committee approved a proposal to cut funding in half for Advanced Placement, dual enrollment and other college-level high school classes. If it’s approved, it could cost districts millions of dollars and threaten the number of courses districts offer. Orlando Sentinel. Cameras would be installed in classrooms for special needs students under a measure approved Tuesday by a House subcommittee. WFSU.
School bus cameras: Thousands of drivers in Miami-Dade and Hillsborough counties who want to contest tickets they received when school bus cameras allegedly caught them illegally passing stopped buses are still waiting for the opportunity. More than 200,000 tickets have been issued by Bus Patrol in those two counties since the start of the school year, generating about $20 million in revenue, but there is still no process set up to contest those citations. WFTS.
Choice count grows: More than 425,000 Florida students have now applied to receive education choice scholarships they can use to attend private school or buy educational services for the 2025-2026 school year. About 340,000 of those students are applying to renew scholarships they already have, while about 85,000 are first-time applicants. The deadline to apply is April 30. More than 500,000 students are using scholarships this year to access learning options of their choice. NextSteps.
Opinions on schools: Florida’s law that requires high school students to take a financial literacy course before graduating is empowering the next generation with tools to manage money responsibly. Tom Lee, Tampa Bay Times.
