Around the state: Florida's Board of Education has cut back the requirements to become a school media specialist and updated school safety standards, the new education commissioner vows to remove the "indoctrination" of students, another 400-plus books are removed from Escambia school bookshelves, the St. Johns and Monroe school districts welcome new superintendents, and Pinellas teachers vote to keep their union. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Palm Beach: An administrator who was the school district's teacher of the year in 2002 was arrested this week and accused of sexually assaulting a minor under 12 years old. Miguel Benavente, 57, had been accused of sexually assaulting a student in 2000 while he was a teacher at Roosevelt Middle School. At that time, police said the statute of limitations had expired and no charges were filed. But in the early 1990s, the state reclassified sexual battery as a capital felony, and the statute of limitations does not apply in capital felony cases. Benavente has placed on administrative leave and been removed from having any contact with students while the district investigates. WPBF. WPTV. WPEC.
Polk: Three candidates have announced their intention to run for the District 3 seat on the school board next year. Rick Nolte is the incumbent, but he's on medical leave and has not indicated if he's running for re-election. Declared candidates are Sarah Corona, Judi New and Victor Sims. In District 6, incumbent Justin Sharpless has yet to draw an opponent. Lakeland Ledger.
Pinellas: Teachers overwhelmingly voted this week to continue being represented by the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association. The vote was 2,089 for retaining the union and 41 against. Union officials now have another year to meet state standards that require 60% of eligible employees paying dues to continue certification. Florida Education Association officials said last month that recertification votes had been approved 100 times without a single rejection since the new eligibility requirements were put in place in 2023. Tampa Bay Times.
St. Johns: The school district's new superintendent, Brennan Asplen, has taken over for the retiring Tim Forson. Asplen will be paid $225,000 a year, with raises tied to his annual performance reviews in eight categories and 37 subcategories. He most recently was deputy superintendent for the district and for three years before that he led the Sarasota County School District. WJXT.
Escambia: School board members recently voted unanimously to remove more than 400 books from school libraries without review because they're on the Florida Department of Education's book removal list. Among the books taken away were I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, and Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. The board also decided materials on the state's list that are required reading for IB, AP and dual-enrollment students can be made available with parental consent. WUWF.
Bay: Bay High School principal Blythe Carpenter has been suspended without pay for a week for a breach of ethics, according to district officials. An investigation found that Carpenter took home a school-owned golf cart for her personal use, kept it for a year, used school funds to paint the cart, and had custodial staff perform maintenance tasks at her home. WMBB. WJHG. A Rutherford High School teacher and assistant football coach has been arrested and accused of having a sexual relationship with a student. Deputies said they found a sexually explicit video of Sean Patrick Watson Jr., 34, and the girl on her phone, and he confessed to having sex with her twice. Panama City News Herald. WJHG. WMBB.
Martin: A proposed three-year contract to have sheriff's deputies continue working as school resource officers was put on pause this week by the school board over unresolved questions about overtime pay, school crossing guards, officers' hours and costs. Negotiations will continue. "I think these things need to be answered and need to be included as part of the contract before I would feel comfortable voting on it," said board member Christia Li Roberts. TCPalm. WPTV.
Flagler: School Board member Derek Barrs answered questions Wednesday at a U.S. Senate committee hearing over his nomination to become the administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Barrs now has until July 21 to respond to written questions from senators. If he's approved, he'll resign from the school board and Gov. Ron DeSantis will appoint a replacement for his District 1 seat. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Monroe: Ed Tierney has taken over as the new school superintendent, replacing the retiring Theresa Axford. He had been an assistant superintendent and chief of staff at the Palm Beach County School District. He said his immediate goal is to build on the A-rated school district's strengths. Florida Keys Weekly.
BOE sets new rules: Competency requirements for educational media specialists were reduced Wednesday by the Florida Board of Education. The new rule lowers competency requirements from 25 to eight, focusing on state instead of national standards, and requires specialists to stay updated with current curriculum. USA Today Florida Network. Revisions to the state's school safety standards also were approved by the BOE. Each school is now required to have a coordinator to assess and respond to threats, and schools must report all threats in the new state portal. Central Florida Public Media.
Commissioner on indoctrination: Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas vowed at the state BOE meeting Wednesday to remove "indoctrination" of students. "As commissioner, it is my mission to ensure that our school districts are firing on all cylinders and that everyone’s rights are respected," he said. Tuesday, Kamoutsas sent letters to district superintendents warning them to protect the rights of parents and teachers, or he would be "knocking on their door." Florida Phoenix. WKMG.
Opinions on schools: Instead of suspending Miami Northwestern High School football coach Teddy Bridgewater for financially helping his players, the school should be celebrating him for his compassion. Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel.
