Around the state: State officials acknowledge the new Schools of Hope law will raise costs for school districts but won't speculate on how much, Pinellas' superintendent says he's planning to recommend more school closures because of enrollment losses, Duval's school board is questioning details of the contracts to sell school headquarters and buy another property, a federal court has lifted the 56-year-old desegregation order against the Jackson County School District, and New College of Florida says it will erect a statue on campus of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: Fraud charges have been dropped against a debate teacher and coach at Western High School in Davie. Dario Camara, 43, was arrested in February 2024 after a business owner said he wasn't paid for the nearly $16,000 in catering services Camara had ordered for debate tournaments. A prosecutor said the evidence did not show that Camara intended to defraud. Sun Sentinel. Raiza Echemendia, the assistant head of school at Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory in Hollywood, was recently arrested and accused of shoplifting $876 worth of clothing. WFOR. WPLG.
Duval: The planned sale of the school headquarters and purchase of another property is drawing questions from a majority of the school board. Superintendent Christopher Bernier's proposed contracts include the district paying $1.34 million in commissions on the sales, and allows the HQ buyer to pay $12.5 million at closing and the other $7.5 million three years later. "I'm curious about why we're getting into the mortgage business," board member April Carney asked. Jacksonville Today. Declining enrollment has prompted the school district to cut 115 teaching positions. No teachers will be fired, but many will be reassigned. WJAX. Gregory Strigglers, a 31-year-old driver for the company that transports district school students, has been arrested and accused of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student who rode his bus. WJXT. WJAX.
Polk: An online petition has been started by a district teacher that demands school officials "take immediate and decisive action to protect teachers, staff, and students from the growing crisis of student threats and violence in our schools." It claims Superintendent Frederick Heid and the school board "failed to act" and haven't responded to the concerns of teachers, parents and others. The district has reported a rise of violent incidents, but contends the jump is misleading because of a change in statewide requirements for reporting incidents. Lakeland Ledger.
Pinellas: More district schools will be closing because of declining enrollment, Superintendent Kevin Hendrick said at Tuesday's school board meeting. He said no high schools will be considered for closure, and that no major school boundary revisions are anticipated. Town hall meetings will be held to get community input, and his final recommendation will be issued in January. Tampa Bay Times. A substitute teacher, 65-year-old David Jones, has been arrested and accused of hitting an autistic child in the head with a lunch box Monday at Oakhurst Elementary School. WFLA. WTSP. WTVT.
Okaloosa: Mirrors have been removed from all bathrooms at Crestview High School. School officials said students are sitting on sinks to look into the mirrors, causing damage. Mirrors are available in hallways. WEAR.
Alachua: School board members are considering filing a lawsuit to appeal the anticipated approval of Newberry Elementary School's conversion to a charter school. Florida's Board of Education votes on the issue Sept. 24. WCJB.
Highlands: A former Avon Park Middle School teacher has been placed on two years of probation for helping students correct wrong answers on an end-of-course science exam during the 2021-2022 school year. Tori-Ann Dallas agreed to the settlement with the state's Education Practices Commission. Her contract was not renewed by the district in the summer of 2022. Highlands News-Sun.
Jackson: The federal desegregation case against the school district has been dismissed 56 years after it began. Tuesday, Chief U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker granted full unitary status to the district and dismissed the case. "For over 50 years, our school system has worked diligently to eliminate the longstanding desegregation case from 1970," said Superintendent Hunter Nolen. "Today’s order confirms that we have fully complied with the Constitution and have created an equitable educational environment for all students in Jackson County." WJHG.
Wakulla: Oct. 14 will be celebrated in the school district as "Charlie Kirk Day of Peaceful Civic Discourse," after the school board approved a recommendation from Superintendent Richard Myhre. "This is not about partisanism," Myhre said, but the move is being criticized. NAACP Tallahassee branch president Marlon Williams-Clark said, "The Wakulla County School Board has disgraced itself and betrayed its students." Tallahassee Democrat. WTXL.
Colleges and universities: New College of Florida announced Tuesday that it will have a statue erected of assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Private donations will be used. Orlando Sentinel. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Florida Politics.
Free speech questions: The state's threats to discipline teachers who have disparaged Charlie Kirk since his death last week are raising free speech concerns. Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas acknowledged teachers' First Amendment rights, but contends those "rights do not extend without limit into their professional duties." Florida Phoenix. WFSU. WFTX. TCPalm. USA Today Florida Network.
Schools of Hope policy: Florida's Board of Education will vote next week on proposed rules implementing a new law that greatly expands the areas where Schools of Hope charter schools can open. Those schools can be opened near persistently struggling public schools, and the law's redefinition of what constitutes a persistently struggling school expands the list from 51 schools to 267. State officials acknowledge that the policy will "likely" raise costs for school districts but declined to speculate how much. Politico Florida.
Around the nation: Declining performance in math testing is caused by math teacher vacancies, grade inflation, an inability to respond quickly to student struggles, and ideological differences in teaching approaches, according to a report from the Center on Reinventing Public Education. K-12 Dive. The 74.
Opinions on schools: Florida's attack on school vaccinations threatens my family and yours. Miguel I. Paredes, Sun Sentinel. When the top officials in our country announce that there is no uniting with the left, that groups that promote any improper language or politics must be rooted out and destroyed -- what do you think that means for schools, public, charter or private? Peter Greene, Curmudgucation.
