Around the state: School boards in Pinellas, Marion and Union counties adjust spending in a lean budget year, parents in Orange County want several books restored in schools until a legislative committee can decide if the Florida Department of Education acted lawfully in demanding they be removed, construction has begun on an aging Sarasota County elementary school that was damaged by a 2022 hurricane, and a Miami philanthropist withdraws a $1 million donation to Florida International University after the state ends in-state tuition for undocumented students. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: A woman whose lawsuit against the school board was dismissed because of a statute of limitations has filed an appeal. The woman, named as Jane Doe in the suit, alleged in the suit filed last year that she had been sexually assaulted in 2013 by her teacher, Wendell Nibbs, at Brownsville Little School in Miami. Nibbs was later sentenced to eight years in prison on three sexual battery charges. News Service of Florida.
Broward: Eleven Little Free Libraries in Broward and Miami-Dade counties have been created by an incoming high school senior at NSU University School in Davie. “I wanted to help my community out and increase the literacy around here,” said Mason Furman, who created the Furman Literacy Project to build the libraries at parks in the community, and at the Broward County Juvenile Detention Center. He said about 10,000 books have been donated and handed out. WFOR.
Orange: Parents, students and teachers spoke out Tuesday against the district’s removal of 50 books the Florida Department of Education called “pornographic.” Some of the books had undergone a local committee review and were judged to be appropriate for high school students. Protesters want the books put back until the Legislature’s Joint Administrative Procedures Committee decides whether the DOE’s actions were lawful. Central Florida Public Media. A math teacher at Corner Lake Middle School in Orlando was arrested this week and accused of having sex in December 2022 with a 14-year-old boy in a classroom at lunchtime. Sarah Jacas, 32, faces charges of statutory rape by an authority figure, lewd or lascivious battery by a custodial authority and lewd or lascivious molestation by a custodial figure. WKMG. WESH.
Lee: Sixty years after opening, Lehigh Acres Elementary School is getting a sidewalk. County commissioners approved spending $216,000 in federal grant funds for the project, which is scheduled to begin next month and finish by October. WFTX.
Pinellas: A proposed $1.1 billion school budget is so tight that, without the projected $145 million in revenue from a local property tax referendum approved in November, teachers might have been faced with pay cuts. Per-student funding from the state is going up just over 1%. “There isn’t going to be a lot of money to play with,” said school board member Eileen Long. Tampa Bay Times.
Brevard: A new state law bans elementary and middle school students from using cell phones during the school day, but board members say they intend to extend that restriction to high school students. “I think if (the policy) would have been enforced the way that this board had intended that policy to work, it wouldn’t have to swing this direction, but because we walk around schools and we see what’s going on there, and we see that they’re still using their cell phones all the time and they’re still videotaping ridiculous things and doing TikTok dances in the hallway — like I see those things, that’s the reason for this,” said board member Megan Wright. A new policy is being worked on and will be considered at a future meeting. Florida Today.
Sarasota: Construction has begun on replacing Garden Elementary School in Venice. State officials determined after Hurricane Ian hit the area in 2022 that the school qualified for demolition because of storm damage and its age. Construction will be done in phases to minimize disruption at the school, and the project is expected to be finished by July 2027. WWSB. WFLA.
Marion: Class sizes will be increased by two students and the number of special education paraprofessionals will be cut as the school board chose a way at Tuesday’s meeting to cut costs without layoffs. WCJB.
Escambia, Santa Rosa: The Escambia and Santa Rosa school districts will offer help this fall to students who are now being required by state law to take a driver’s education course before they can get a learner’s permit. Both districts have free classes, and are considering expanding their programs. Pensacola News Journal. Individual Escambia school start and close times for the 2025-2026 academic year have been finalized. Schools reopen Aug. 11, and the school year ends May 22, 2026. Pensacola News Journal.
Union: About 40 school district jobs will be eliminated as school board members approved a proposal to trim the budget by $1.5 million. Some of the 40 positions are vacant and won’t be filled. The board also approved setting up a $1 million line of credit that can be tapped until money collected from taxes is distributed. WCJB.
Colleges and universities: Miami philanthropist Miguel Fernandez has withdrawn a $1 million donation to Florida International University over the state’s decision to exclude undocumented Florida students from paying in-state tuition rates and President Jeanette Nunez’s endorsement of the move. Miami Herald. Jacksonville’s city council approved a plan Tuesday to redevelop property in the downtown area of Lavilla into a graduate campus for the University of Florida. Classes are expected to start in the fall of 2026. WTLV. Florida Gulf Coast University officials have issued a warning to students and staff about watching out for black bears rummaging in campus trash bins for food. Fort Myers News-Press. WGCU.
Around the nation: Florida ranks 45th in the nation for its suspensions of students with disabilities, according to an analysis of the most recently available data collected through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The national average is 7.4%, and Florida’s rate is 10.2%. South Carolina has the worst rate at 15%, and Vermont’s is the lowest at 2.9%. The 74.
Opinions on schools: A “job apocalypse” driven by advancements in artificial intelligence could create an opportunity to recruit more talented college graduates who find themselves with fewer job opportunities into teaching. Michael J. Petrilli, The 74.
