Around the state: Florida’s Board of Education adopts a rule requiring school districts to offer training to parents for the app that can be used to report school threats and also approves turnaround plans for struggling schools in Leon and Alachua counties, a land sale as part of a charter school deal in Pasco County is in jeopardy, Sarasota’s school board agree to meet monthly instead of twice a month, the future of driver’s education classes at an Okeechobee County high school is uncertain, and finalists are chosen for the Broward teacher of the year award. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: A recent Florida International University graduate was struck and killed Wednesday morning by a private school bus in Sweetwater. Police said the driver reported feeling a “thump” as he made a right turn. Only after he got off the bus did he realize he had hit a 22-year-old woman, Anjali Persaud, who was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Nine students on the bus were not injured. Police are continuing their investigation. Miami Herald. WPLG. WSVN. WFOR. WTVJ.
Broward: Five finalists have been selected for the school district’s teacher of the year award. They are: Lillie deCastro, magnet coordinator at William McFatter Technical College and High School; Matthew Feiler, computer science teacher at West Broward High; Richard Lamarre, science teacher at Miramar High; Park Lakes Elementary 1st-grade teacher Jennifer Mehu; and Sawgrass Springs Middle literacy coach Deanna Waters. The winner will be announced Feb. 7. Broward County School District.
Orange: A former Florida Virtual School employee is suing the company that’s based in Orlando, claiming she was fired in 2023 for expressing concerns that FLVS donations to One More Child, run by the Florida Baptist Children’s Homes, violated the separation of church and state. FLVS denies donating money to any organization, saying its employees occasionally “choose to support their communities through volunteer opportunities and personal donations.” Jessica Robertson had worked as a curriculum coordinator at FLVS since 2019. Florida Politics.
Polk: New school board member Travis Keyes and incumbents Sara Beth Wyatt and William Allen were sworn in at this week’s board meeting after winning elections this fall. Members then elected Allen as board chair and Justin Sharpless as vice chair. Lakeland Ledger. A $350,000 state grant will help Redlands Christian Migrant Association’s Mulberry Community Academy install a water treatment system that will allow the construction of a permanent K-8 school building. The academy has almost 300 students from agricultural and rural families. Lakeland Ledger.
Pasco: While school board members approved a five-year contract for a new charter high school in the central part of the county, they are reconsidering their 2023 decision to sell a 20-acre site for the Dr. Kiran Patel High School. When the land deal was approved, the school was planning for 1,000 students and the customary contract for a new charter was five years. Since then, Patel officials have been pushing for 1,500 students and a 15-year contract. Board chair Cynthia Armstrong has asked deputy superintendent Betsy Kuhn to see if there’s a resolution that suits both sides. “Let’s see how we can move forward — or not move forward — depending on the conversation,” she said. Tampa Bay Times.
Seminole: Students will make up the day schools were closed for Hurricane Milton on Jan. 6, district officials announced Wednesday. Schools closed Oct. 11 for the storm. WFTV.
Volusia: In a response to a lawsuit filed against the district by the country’s largest book publishers, school officials said they were simply following state law when they removed books from libraries. The suit names the Volusia and Orange school boards and the Florida Board of Education, claiming the removals are a violation of the First Amendment. State officials answered by asking that the suit be dismissed and contending that “The First Amendment does not require the government to provide access to particular materials in public school libraries or to have school libraries at all.” Daytona Beach News-Journal. Newly elected school board members Krista Goodrich and Donna Brosemer were sworn in at this week’s organizational meeting. Jessie Thompson has named board chair, and Jamie Haynes is the vice chair. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Sarasota: In a 3-2 vote, school board members agreed this week to meet just once a month instead of twice in 2025. Superintendent Terry Connor made the proposal, arguing that the change would offer efficiency in district discussions. Members of the public were critical of the change, saying it limited their access to comment about board business. Board members Tom Edwards and Liz Barker voted against the proposal, but Tim Enos, Bridget Ziegler and Robyn Marinelli supported it. Meetings are now scheduled Jan. 14, Feb. 18, March 11, April 15, May 20, June 10, July 22, Aug. 19, Sept. 16, Oct. 21, Nov. 18 and Dec. 16. Charlotte Sun.
Leon: A district plan to improve the grade of Apalachee Elementary School was approved Wednesday by the Florida Board of Education. Approval was granted after the district met with the Bureau of School Improvement, addressed teacher vacancies at the school and implemented an apprenticeship program with three local colleges to recruit educators. Other parts of the plan include coaching and collaborative planning, early student intervention and data analysis, school Superintendent Rocky Hanna told the state board. Tallahassee Democrat. Three school officials who were re-elected this fall were sworn in at this week’s school board meeting. Superintendent Hanna and board members Rosanne Wood and Laurie Lawson Cox took the oath. School board members then elected Cox as board chair and Marcus Nicolas as vice chair. Tallahassee Democrat.
Alachua: The school’s turnaround plan for Rawlings Elementary School in Gainesville also was approved Wednesday by the Florida Board of Education. Rawlings has received D grades the past two years, which requires the district to make a plan for improvement. It includes new school leadership, a training program for teachers, improving student attendance, cutting out-of-school suspensions and aligning the curriculum and teaching methods with Florida standards. If Rawlings doesn’t improve its grade to a C or higher in 2025, the district will have the options of turning it into a charter school, hiring an outside operator or closing it. WUFT.
Martin: School board members have approved spending $483,000 to repair the Martin County High School swimming pool so it can reopen. But consultants hired by the board warned that the repairs are a temporary fix, good for only five to seven years. TCPalm.
Citrus: New Superintendent Scott Hebert was sworn in at this week’s school board meeting along with new member Ken Frink and returnee Sandy Counts. Counts was then elected board chair, with Joseph Faherty being chosen as vice chair. Citrus County Chronicle.
Flagler: Two new school board members elected this fall and another appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis were sworn in at a board meeting this week. Election winners Janie Ruddy and Lauren Ramirez and appointee Derek Barrs took their oaths Tuesday to join holdover board members Christy Chong and Will Furry. Furry was re-elected as board chair, and Chong as vice chair. Flagler Live. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Putnam: A former teacher at QI Roberts Junior-Senior High School in Florahome has been arrested and accused of soliciting or engaging in lewd conduct with a student. Robert Grady Bush Jr., 54, was placed on administrative leave when an investigation into the allegations began, and he resigned before it was completed. Jacksonville Today. WJAX. WJXT.
Okeechobee: The future of driver’s education at Okeechobee High School is uncertain, Superintendent Dylan Tedders told school board members at a recent meeting. The district has been using simulators since 2020 because of the pandemic and a shortage of cars. Now, the driver’s ed teacher plans to retire after the school year, and Tedders said, “We’ll have some decisions to make if we even offer the course.” Lake Okeechobee News.
Colleges and universities: Mel Ponder, a former Republican state representative from Destin, was confirmed this week as the new president of Northwest Florida State College based in Niceville. Trustees approved an annual base salary of $250,000 for Ponder. Ponder, 56, replaces Devin Stephenson, who was picked in April to lead Florida Polytechnic University. Ponder begins the job Jan. 2. News Service of Florida. Northwest Florida Daily News. Charges of trespassing and resisting arrest without violence have been dropped against a University of Florida student from Naples who was arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest on campus in April. But UF’s three-year suspension of Parker Hovis from campus remains in effect. Naples Daily News.
BOE warns parents on threats: Florida’s Board of Education approved a rule Wednesday that will require school districts to make training on FortifyFL, an app where anonymous tips about school threats can be submitted, available to parents and guardians. Included in the training is a warning about the consequences of making threats or false reports. “Parents need to understand that all threats will be taken seriously and will result in severe consequences, including for parents,” said Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. Board member Ryan Petty has proposed that parental accountability for threats “may be something that the Legislature needs to take up next year.” News Service of Florida. Spectrum News 13. Florida Department of Education.
Ties to ‘countries of concern’: Four state universities still have ties with “countries of concern” that were the subject of a 2023 state law restricting colleges’ interaction with them, Board of Governors members were recently told. The University of Florida, Florida State, University of Central Florida and University of South Florida still have agreements with China, Russia and Venezuela. Other countries targeted by the law are Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Syria. None of the ties are safety concerns, said UF vice president for research David Norton, but the school and others are working to eliminate the remaining ties. WMNF.
Also at the BOE meeting: A classical education program developed by the University of Florida’s Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education was approved by the Board of Education as an option for college students to fulfill their civics graduation requirement. Classical education is a model that fosters “principles of moral character and civic virtue” through the study of liberal arts and sciences. Politico Florida. Former Broward County School Board member Daniel Foganholi was sworn in as a BOE member Wednesday. He’s previously been appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission and the Broward school board twice. Florida Phoenix.
State paying over work training: Florida has agreed to pay $725,000 in legal fees and costs for businesses that successfully challenged part of a 2022 law that placed restrictions on addressing race-related issues in workplace training. The law also applied to the way race-related concepts could be taught in universities. A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction against that part of the law, though the injunction is being appealed. Politico Florida. News Service of Florida.
Senate committee leaders: Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, has named the chairs of committees for the legislative session that runs March 4 through May 2. Among them are Sen. Alexis Calatayud, R-Miami, who will chair the Education Postsecondary Committee; and Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, who will lead the Education Pre-K-12 Committee. News Service of Florida.
Around the nation: Black teachers’ average raises and pay lag behind white teachers’, according to a Rand Corp. survey released Wednesday. In the 2023-2024 school year, black teachers in the United States made an average of $65,013 compared to $70,695 for white teachers, and the average $2,030 raises for white educators were 21 percent higher than the average of $1,684 that black teachers received. K-12 Dive.
