Bathroom privileges: Several Florida school districts will be watching closely when the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in the case of a transgender Virginia student who was denied the option of using the bathroom of the gender with which he identifies. Those arguments will be in February or March. The Marion County School District requires students to use the bathrooms of the gender they were born with, and Sarasota County officials have called a federal directive outlining bathroom use by transgender students “government overreach.” WUSF. WLRN.
Discipline for teacher: A state administrative law judge says a teacher should be disciplined, but not fired, for urging a student not to come out as transgender. The Lee County School Board had recommended last year that Angel Villanueva, a Junior ROTC instructor at East Lee County High School, be fired for his remarks to the student and about students’ sexual preferences. The issue now goes back to the Lee County School Board for review. News Service of Florida.
Sit-in protest: Several students hold a sit-in protest at Terry Parker High School in Jacksonville to demand that an African-American studies course be expanded to a full year and be worth a full credit. The course now lasts a semester and is worth a half-credit. Superintendent Nikolai Vitti says the district is considering the requested changes, and the protesting students will not be disciplined. Florida Times-Union.
New superintendent: The Lake County School Board approves a four-year contract with newly hired Superintendent Diane Kornegay. She will be paid $195,000 a year, and could earn another $35,000 based on her performance and student achievement. Kornegay’s goals for her first 100 days are to improve the relationship between the school board and the superintendent, build public trust, and evaluate the district’s financial, instructional and operations plans. Daily Commercial. Orlando Sentinel.
Teacher bonuses: Orange County has 785 teachers who will receive bonuses from the state. It’s followed by Hillsborough, Palm Beach, Seminole, Brevard, Pasco, Florida Virtual School, Miami-Dade, Sarasota, Clay, Santa Rosa, Alachua and Leon, all of which have 200 or more teachers who will receive the $6,817 bonus money. Gradebook.
Contract negotiations: The Polk County School District declares an impasse in negotiations with unions representing teachers, custodians, bus drivers and maintenance workers. The district is offering no pay raise. The teachers union wants a raise of 3.41 percent, and the support staffers union wants a 2.5 percent increase. Winter Haven News Chief.
Open enrollment: Schools in Sarasota and Manatee counties prepare for open enrollment, the new state law that allows students to move into any public school in the state that has vacancies. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Bradenton Herald. About 6,400 Manatee students now attend charter schools. That and other options are outlined in a community forum. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Personnel changes: Todd Cluff, who had been an assistant superintendent supervising northwest Pasco County schools, is assigned to the principal’s job at Seven Springs Elementary School. Superintendent Kurt Browning recently announced he was moving away from the area organizational structure in favor of a more traditional model. Gradebook.
Notable deaths: Cynthia Moore, a longtime teacher, volunteer and school board member in Hernando County, dies at the age of 74. Tampa Bay Times.
No lane needed: Palm Beach County transportation officials decide a left turn lane is unneeded at the expanded Lake Worth Christian School, and the school will get back the $221,000 it had set aside to pay for the lane. Palm Beach Post.
Audit finds discrepancies: An audit of the Deane Bozeman School’s books shows several discrepancies, school officials say, but no evidence of fraud. Principal Josh Balkom said the school had “personnel and organizational” issues that have been corrected. Panama City News Herald.
Brawl at basketball: Two parents brawl in the stands during a Hagerty High School girls basketball game. One parent complained about a referee’s call and another parent objected, leading to the scuffle. Police are reviewing a video of the incident to determine if charges will be filed. Orlando Sentinel.
Bus drivers needed: Lee County School District transportation officials are asking the school board to extend an incentives program for hiring substitute school bus drivers. The district hopes to use the extension to find 200 more drivers. Fort Myers News-Press.
Teachers in trouble: Two Palm Beach County elementary school teachers face termination after investigators conclude they tipped off their third-graders to the correct answers during the statewide math test last spring. Maria Marrero Rios, 50, is a teacher at Melaleuca Elementary in West Palm Beach, and Ilissa Sanders, 46, is a teacher at Citrus Cove Elementary in suburban Boynton Beach. Palm Beach Post. Three Duval County teachers are suspended without pay for inappropriate behavior. Darryl Countryman, a teacher at Terry Parker High, was suspended for 30 days after flipping a student off a chair and pushing his head against the floor. Paul Carlson, a teacher at Robert E. Lee High, was suspended for 15 days for grabbing a student by the necklace, breaking it and hurting the student’s neck, as well as coming to school while under the influence of alcohol. And Jonathan Burgess, an Englewood High teacher, was suspended for 10 days for mocking an autistic student and making inappropriate comments to other students. Florida Times-Union.
Guns at schools: A sophomore at Palm Beach Lakes High School is arrested for bringing a gun to school. Police got a tip and found the gun in the student’s waistband. Palm Beach Post.
Opinions on schools: Tax credit voucher proponents misleadingly characterize the Florida Education Association’s constitutional challenge to the voucher program as an “assault” on children. In truth, however, the lawsuit is trying to ensure a high quality education for all children, as Florida’s constitution demands. Julie Delegal, Florida Times-Union. It’s encouraging to see that Volusia County’s best improvement in high school graduation rates in years isn’t good enough for local education officials. Nor should it be. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Student enrichment: Twenty-five schools in Lee and Collier counties are among the 700 state schools to earn “five-star status” from the Florida Department of Education. Fort Myers News-Press. Thirty schools in St. Lucie, Martin and Indian River counties also are named five-star schools by the state. TCPalm. Henderson Heussner, an 18-year-old student at Estero High School, is a semifinalist for the military child of the year award given annually by Operation Homefront. Fort Myers News-Press.
