Around the state: Florida’s Board of Education is changing the voting process for converting a school from public to charter, a rural Florida school district grapples with the effects of school choice and the history of segregation, Broward’s school district is still waiting for the state to approve its sex education plans nearly a year after submitting them, Pinellas teachers and the district reach a tentative contract agreement, issues with the metal detectors installed in Broward high schools continue to pop up, and the University of Florida’s interim president says he’s cooperating with the investigation into former president Ben Sasse’s spending and is evaluating whether to move ahead with initiatives that Sasse launched. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: The long delays in getting students through metal detectors at district high schools are easing, but there are still problems being worked out. Monitoring the detectors requires a lot of security workers, leaving fewer to cover other areas of schools, and the district is still considering how to handle lines of students on stormy days. Problems with the rollout of the detectors last week led to the resignation of the district’s safety and security director. Sun Sentinel.
Hillsborough: There is evidence that the now-shuttered Sacred Heart Academy in Tampa was built over 700 graves in the 1930s, and cemetery advocates are demanding that the Diocese of St. Petersburg, which owns the property, and Sacred Heart Catholic Church, which operated the school that closed in 2012, search for the graves. Tampa Bay Times.
Orange, central Florida: Nearly a year after the Orange County School District submitted its proposed sex education curriculum to the state, it’s still waiting to hear whether the plan has been approved. The Florida Department of Education has not explained the delay, and in the meantime the district has offered students no instruction about reproductive health. “Once OCPS knows what is expected and what is approved, it will plan and deliver accordingly,” said district spokesperson Renee Burke. Orlando Sentinel. A shortage of school bus drivers is continuing to cause problems for central Florida school districts. One of them, Orange, is offering signing bonuses of up to $16,000 over two years to attract new drivers. Central Florida Public Media. A former science teacher at Apopka High School convicted of drugging and sexually battering an Italian exchange student has been sentenced to life in prison. Dmitri Kostyunin, 51, was found guilty in March. Orlando Sentinel. WKMG.
Duval: The former principal and assistant principal of the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts are reportedly under investigation by the district for the way they handled teacher misconduct allegations during the 2022-2023 school year. Then-principal Tina Wilson and assistant Lourdes Gee were reportedly told by a student about teachers who acted inappropriately but took no action. WJXT. Nine district schools that had been considered for closure are now off the list, say members of the Save Our Schools group that is working with the district on the plan to shutter underused schools. A final list of potential closures is expected to be announced next month. WJAX. After Tuesday’s election a majority of school board members are now conservative, a development applauded by Gov. Ron DeSantis. What will the change mean for the board and the school district? Florida Times-Union. Florida Politics. Florida Phoenix. Associated Press.
Lee: A former paraprofessional at Royal Palm Exceptional Center in Fort Myers has pleaded guilty to having a sexual relationship with a student and has been sentenced to eight years in prison. Lauren King, 32, was charged with lewd and lascivious battery on a victim between the ages of 12 and 16. The student, who has a disability, was 12 at the time. Fort Myers News-Press. WFTX. WBBH.
Pinellas, Pasco: Pinellas school officials and the union representing teachers reached a tentative contract agreement this week. It calls for $1,500 raises for teachers on annual contract with an effective performance rating, $1,600 to teachers on continuing contracts, $2,000 to teachers on annual contract with a highly effective rating, and raises starting pay from $52,000 to $54,000. Union members will begin ratification early next month. Tampa Bay Times. School officials in Pinellas and Pasco say they’re struggling to comply with a new state requirement that school gates and doors be locked when children are present. The problem is worse before and after school, they say, because there aren’t enough employees with keys to unlock and lock every access point when students come and go. Tampa Bay Times. The Pasco County Commission has approved an increase of impact fees on single-family homes by $1,000 a year, to $9,328, and then would boost them another $1,000 annually through the year 2028. Fees would also go up for multifamily construction and mobile homes. Impact fees help the school district deal with enrollment growth. Tampa Bay Times.
Manatee: IMG Academy, the Bradenton-based prep boarding school that specializes in sports training, said Wednesday it will add girls softball in the fall of 2025. Joey Lye, who won a bronze medal in the 2020 Olympics with the Canadian team, will direct the program. Softball will be the eighth sport for girls at IMG. Bradenton Herald. WWSB.
Lake: Mount Dora city officials are working on an ordinance that would follow the lead of neighboring town Eustis and place speed detection cameras in school zones. Cameras identify violators in school zones and tickets are mailed to the drivers. Since Eustis installed its cameras earlier this year, more than 1,300 tickets have been issued. Spectrum News 13.
Marion: A 53-acre housing development across the street from Trinity Catholic High School in southwest Marion County has been approved by county commissioners. Plans include 528 multifamily units and 30,000 square feet of medical office space, and construction is expected to start within a year. Ocala Star-Banner.
Sarasota: School board members approved a name, image and likeness policy that details the rules for allowing students to enter into endorsement deals, and a $237 million, five-year capital projects plan. Speakers at the meeting also expressed relief at the outcome of Tuesday’s primary election and their hope that the board will spend more time on educational matters and less on cultural wars. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Charlotte Sun. WWSB.
Alachua: Florida’s Board of Education has cleared the way to convert Newberry Elementary into a charter school by adding an amendment to the process Wednesday requiring a simple 50 percent vote from teachers and parents instead of a majority to approve a conversion. Four months ago, the city of Newberry decided to change the three public schools in the city into charters. Two failed, but the vote at Newberry Elementary was half in favor, half opposed, leaving the issue unresolved until the voting change was made. Gainesville Sun. Mainstreet Daily News. WCJB.
Flagler: A student’s mother was arrested this week and charged with aggravated child abuse after she put another student in a chokehold during an altercation at a bus stop near Flagler Palm Coast High School. Arrested and charged were the mother, Kathryn Stephanopoulos, 34, and two students. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Flagler Live. WESH.
Madison: Superintendent Shirley Joseph’s decision to consolidate three elementary schools into one because of underenrollment has put a focus on the effects of school choice and the lingering resistance of some parents to send their children to integrated schools. Associated Press.
Colleges and universities: Interim University of Florida president Kent Fuchs said he’s cooperating with an investigation into former president Ben Sasse’s spending and is busy evaluating and deciding whether to proceed with the 100 or so initiatives Sasse started in his 17-month tenure. Fuchs, who ran the school from 2015-2023, said his approach will differ from Sasse’s. “President Sasse really had a vision of transforming higher education broadly speaking and having the University of Florida be a model for that transformation,” he said. “I’m a little different. My vision is not about transforming higher ed. My view is simply to build on the excellence of the institution.” WCJB. Tampa Bay Times. Vanderbilt University is moving ahead with a plan to build a $520 million campus in downtown West Palm Beach that would include a college for computer science and artificial intelligence and an “innovation hub” to promote entrepreneurship. City officials voted this week to donate $12.8 million in property to Vanderbilt for the project. Palm Beach Post. Inside Higher Ed. Florida State University students are moving into dorms this week, with classes beginning Monday. Tallahassee Democrat.
Chaplain policy challenged: Satanic Temple officials signaled this week that they will challenge the state’s model policy governing eligibility for the program that will allow volunteer chaplains access to K-12 public schools. Lucien Greaves, temple co-founder, said the policy would exclude Satanists and other religious faiths. “It flies in the face of all standing First Amendment precedent and basic respect for religious pluralism and liberty,” he said. Kara Gross, the American Civil Liberty Union of Florida’s senior policy counsel, agreed, calling the policy “extremely problematic and raises several constitutional concerns.” USA Today Florida Network.
Opinions on schools: Voters decisively rejected Gov. DeSantis’ meddling in education in Tuesday’s primary, sending a clear message that they want to decide who runs their schools — not a scheming politician in Tallahassee with partisan motives. Sun Sentinel. Extremism took a beating in some unexpected places Tuesday, a momentous primary election day in Florida that seemed to suggest a course correction after years of divisive culture wars in education. Voters largely opted for candidates who wanted to return the focus to classroom basics. Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel. Phonics alone is not the victor in the reading wars, nor is it the adversary. We must avoid one-size-fits-all solutions and instead support teachers with a full toolbox of instructional approaches tailored to their students’ needs. Cheron H. Davis, Tampa Bay Times.
