Student walkout: Students from hundreds of U.S. schools walked out Wednesday to show their support for the Second Amendment. The walkout, called "Stand for the Second," was initiated by New Mexico student Will Riley to show that not all students agreed with the gun-control walkouts organized last month by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School after a gunman killed 17 people there Feb. 14. Wednesday's rally lasted for 16 minutes - one minute less than the gun-control walkout April 20. USA Today. The 74. Huffington Post. Tallahassee Democrat.
School security: The Sarasota County School Board begins the process of building an internal police department by approving job descriptions for a police chief and sergeant. The vote was 3-2, with chairwoman Bridget Ziegler saying she had “grave concerns” about moving away from a system based on school resource officers from outside law enforcement agencies. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. St. Johns County School Board members are calling for a joint meeting with county commissioners to pay for required school security measures. “It’s a community issue,” says board chair Bill Mignon. “It’s not just a school board issue.” St. Augustine Record. The Tarpon Springs City Commission approves a proposal to hire two police officers to help the Pinellas County School District fulfill a state mandate to have armed security in every school. Tampa Bay Times. Bay County school officials are struggling to balance the need for school safety with the wish to make visitors comfortable in going to schools for events. Panama City News Herald. Two cities in Clay County want to provide school resource officers to schools. Green Cove Springs is asking the school board for part of the money to supply officers, and Orange Park also is offering to negotiate for the use of its officers. Clay Today.
Tax hike considered: The Palm Beach County District is considering asking voters to approve a property tax increase to boost teacher salaries and help pay for school security and mental health services. The requested amount has not been set, though school board members have discussed adding $100 on every $100,000 of taxable property value, which could raise as much as $153 million a year. If the board approves the proposal when it meets June 20, it would go before voters in the November general election. Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel.
School security: The Broward County School Board accepts Superintendent Robert Runcie's recommendation and votes unanimously against participating in the state's guardian program to arm specified school employees. The district will ask the state if it can redirect money from the guardian program to hire resource officers. Sun-Sentinel. Miami Herald. The state will send Duval County $4 million for school safety, but interim superintendent Patricia Willis says the district needs $14 million to place a resource officer in every school. Florida Times-Union. Palm Beach County School Superintendent Donald Fennoy is planning to restructure the district's police force, which includes choosing a new chief and adding 75 officers to the 150 it has now. Palm Beach Post. Brevard Sheriff Wayne Ivey, who had strongly pushed the school board to participate in the guardian program, is now recommending against it, and Superintendent Desmond Blackburn says he agrees. Ivey says he's worried the debate about arming school employees is overshadowing the more important need for resource officers in every school. Florida Today. Polk County school officials are considering hiring armed security guards for their schools. “Basically, what we’re doing is creating our own police force,” says Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd. Lakeland Ledger. To meet state mandates on school security, many Florida districts are shifting money from other projects, including instructional, dipping into reserves or contemplating borrowing. Reuters.
More on report card: While most of the nation had so-so results on the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading and mathematics assessments, also known as the nation's report card, Florida students outperformed their peers in grades 4 and 8 reading and grade 4 math, and was the only state to show improvements in three of the four categories. Three large Florida districts -- Miami-Dade, Duval and Hillsborough -- also ranked among the leaders of the 27 that participated in a trial urban district assessment. Here's the full NAEP report and highlights. Florida Times-Union. WJCT. WJXT. redefinED. Miami Herald. The 74. Florida Governor's Office. What's Florida doing that other states could emulate? Education Week. U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos praises Florida as a "bright spot" in NAEP testing, but pointing to the stagnant scores and a widening achievement gap, says "we can and we must do better for America’s students." Education Week. Politico Florida. (more…)
School security: Clear backpacks were in use Monday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the verdict is in: the students don't like them. Some say they aren't effective and convey a false sense of security, and others say it's an invasion of privacy. Many personalized the backpacks with protest messages. Sun-Sentinel. WPLG. School leaders in central Florida say the security measures mandated by the new state law will cost more than they've been given and will take too long to implement. For example, money for hardening schools isn't likely to be distributed until 2019. Orlando Sentinel. Putnam County School Board members seem to favor putting resource officers in every school instead of arming school personnel, but need to find about $1 million to hire those officers. WJAX. One overlooked aspect of a school or district arming teachers or school employees is insurance. Some carriers decline to insure schools who arm staff because of heightened liability. NBC News. Lake County School Board members and district officials participate in a mock active-shooter exercise. Orlando Sentinel.
Cell phones in schools: Cell phones are becoming more accepted in U.S. schools, according to a new survey by the National Center for Education Statistics. About two-thirds of U.S. schools still ban cell phones in school, but that's down from 90 percent in 2009-2010. The change is more striking among high school students. Eight years ago, 80 percent of high schools banned them from schools. Now it's about 35 percent. Researchers say parents want to be able to contact their children in emergencies, and districts are finding that phones offer another learning tool that doesn't cost them money. Associated Press.
Podcast teacher resigns: The Citrus County middle school social studies teacher who hosted a white nationalist podcast under a pseudonym is resigning. Dayanna Volitich, 25, acknowledged assuming the name Tiana Dalichov for her podcast, in which she told listeners that some races don't learn as well as others and that Muslims needed to be "eradicated." She claimed her comments were satirical. Volitich was removed from her Crystal River Middle School classroom in March, and submitted her resignation Monday. Citrus County Chronicle. WTSP. WFLA. (more…)
State budget: The Florida Senate and House overwhelmingly approve an $88.7 billion state budget that increases per-student spending by an average of $101.50 statewide, but is lower in some of the state's largest districts. "How can anyone justify per-student increases of $65.06 and $52.35 for Miami-Dade and Broward, respectively?" tweeted Miami-Dade School Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. Earlier Sunday, Gov. Rick Scott signed the higher education bill that permanently boosts spending for Bright Futures scholarships, and the K-12 bill that includes a new scholarship program for bullied victims. News Service of Florida. Tampa Bay Times. Palm Beach Post. Orlando Sentinel. Politico Florida. Tallahassee Democrat. GateHouse. The Legislature also passed a $170 million tax cut bill that includes a three-day tax holiday on school supplies. News Service of Florida. Associated Press.
School safety bill: Gov. Scott signs the $400 million school safety bill, despite being lobbied by educators who don't like the idea of arming school personnel and NRA officials who don't like the new restrictions on gun sales. The NRA quickly files a suit in federal court against the law, calling it a violation of the Second Amendment. News Service of Florida. Associated Press. Politico Florida. Tampa Bay Times. redefinED. Palm Beach Post. GateHouse. Here's what the new school safety bill does. Palm Beach Post. Stoneman Douglas students and parents had vowed that "this time would be different." And it was. But school students say while it's a start, it isn't enough. Miami Herald. Some private schools are ahead of public schools on security issues. Palm Beach Post. President Trump backs away from his earlier proposals on gun restrictions and is now calling for the creation of a federal Commission on School Safety, led by U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, to make long-range policy suggestions. Tampa Bay Times. Politico Florida. Associated Press. No one really knows how many students bring guns to schools, because schools are lax in reporting those incidents and the information detailing it is inconsistently collected and outdated. Stateline.
Reaction to safety bill: Law enforcement and school officials say there isn't enough money in the bill to put an armed resource officer in every school. They say $360 million is needed but the bill only provides $162 million, which means arming school personnel may be the only option for full coverage. Tallahassee Democrat. Why the state's school superintendents opposed the bill. Washington Post. Miami-Dade school officials are working on a plan to put armed officers at every school. Miami Herald. Central Florida educators say they want police officers, not teachers or other school workers, to be armed on campuses. Orlando Sentinel. WKMG. Manatee County school officials join other large districts around the state in saying they're unlikely to arm any school personnel other than resource officers under the new law. Bradenton Herald. The Citrus County School Board will be asked to place school resource officers into more schools. Several elementary schools share a deputy. Citrus County Chronicle.
School board term limits: A proposal before the Constitution Revision Commission to limit school board terms is revised. Sponsor Erika Donalds now wants to limit board members to serving eight consecutive years, starting Nov. 6, 2018. The earlier version, which had been approved by a CRC committee, would have begun with service since 2015. Gradebook. Several education issues are among the proposals CRC members will consider in its final report to the secretary of state May 10. Florida Today. (more…)
Education bills: Both legislative chambers approve a sweeping K-12 education bill. If signed by Gov. Rick Scott, the bill would create the Hope Scholarship for students who are bullied or the victims of violence, give money to 3rd-graders to pay for tutors to help them pass the state reading test, require every school to prominently display the state motto "In God We Trust," decertify teachers unions when membership falls below 50 percent of eligible employees, place restrictions on local school districts' ability to close charter schools, and use sales taxes from commercial properties to expand the Gardiner and tax credit scholarship programs, among other things. Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog, helps administer the Gardiner and tax credit scholarship programs. Associated Press. News Service of Florida. Tampa Bay Times. Orlando Sentinel. redefinED. Gainesville Sun. Politico Florida. GateHouse. Here's a breakdown of what's in the nearly 200-page education bill. redefinED. Both chambers also pass the higher education bill, which permanently boosts the amounts students can receive if they qualify for Bright Futures scholarships, among other provisions. News Service of Florida. Associated Press. GateHouse. Other school choice issues are up for votes this week. redefinED.
School safety bill: The Florida Senate narrowly passes the school safety bill, but only after senators strip the provision to arm teachers. Instead, districts that choose to participate in the $67 million marshals program can have other personnel - such as custodians or principals - trained and armed. Another $97 million would be set aside for more school resource officers. Overall, the bill provides $400 million for school safety, including $69 million for mental health assistance.into mental health and school safety programs, $18.3 million for mobile crisis teams working with the Department of Children and Families and the schools and $500,000 for mental health first aid training. The bill also bans the sale of bump stocks, raises the legal age to buy a firearm from 18 to 21, and imposes a three-day waiting period on the purchase of all rifles and shotguns. Miami Herald. Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel. GateHouse. Tallahassee Democrat. Associated Press. WLRN. House leaders express disappointment over the Senate's decision to not arm teachers. Politico Florida. Sheriffs say the amount set aside for arming school personnel is too much, and the amount for more school officers is too little. Tampa Bay Times. The Broward County School Board is expected to approve an agreement today to add school resource officers at four more schools. Sun-Sentinel. Monday is the first day for every Manatee school to have a resource officer. Bradenton Herald. Bay County School Superintendent Bill Husfelt says everything the Legislature is talking about is for next year. "I’m worried about today,” he says. “I have called the governor’s office several times and suggested they put the National Guard out in front of schools that don’t have armed security, since they’re already being paid.” Panama City News Herald. (more…)
Education bill: The Senate is expected to vote today on the massive education bill, which would create a state scholarship for bullied students, boost the money available for special-needs students that would be funded through a corporate lease tax credit, offer $500 savings accounts for tutoring to low-performing readers in elementary schools, and decertify teachers unions that don't have 50 percent of their eligible employees as dues-paying members, among other things. If approved, the bill goes back to the House for a vote. Tampa Bay Times. redefinED. News Service of Florida. State Sen. Tom Lee, R-Thonotasassa, calls the Senate's leadership "third world" after his failed attempt to amend the provision that could decertify teachers unions. Tampa Bay Times. Politico Florida. As the Legislature enters its final week, it still has to pass the education bill, the school safety bill, and a budget that includes a small hike for K-12 schools and a boost for Bright Futures scholarships, among other things. Associated Press. Tampa Bay Times.
School safety bill: The Florida Senate, in a rare Saturday session, finalizes a school safety bill that allows teachers to carry guns in schools but does not ban assault weapons. The amendment banning assault weapons passed in a voice vote, but was then rejected in a roll call vote. The proposed bill would require a three-day waiting period to buy all firearms, boost the legal age to buy a rifle or a shotgun from 18 to 21, ban bump stocks, put an armed police officer in every school, and boost funding for mental health care. Here are the amendments that passed, and those that failed. The Senate is expected to take a final vote today. News Service of Florida. Associated Press. Tampa Bay Times. Orlando Sentinel. Palm Beach Post. Politico Florida. If the Legislature passes a school safety bill that includes a provision that allows teachers to be armed, it's unclear if Gov. Rick Scott could veto it. He opposes having teachers carrying guns. Palm Beach Post. During Saturday's debate, Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, says thoughts and prayers are the only thing that can stop the evil behind mass shootings. Miami Herald. A review of school shootings seems to indicate that any one preventative measure being proposed could have stopped at least one of the assaults, but not all of them. Miami Herald. Experts say the legislation not only won't stop the next Nikolas Cruz, but it creates a parallel mental health system that duplicates services. Politico Florida. Leon County officials work to improve security at schools while waiting to see what comes out of the Legislature. Tallahassee Democrat.
Teacher removed for podcast: A social studies teacher at Crystal River Middle who has been hosting a white nationalist podcast under a different name and boasting that she's pushing her views to her students has been removed from the classroom while the Citrus County School District investigates. On her podcast Unapologetic, under the pseudonym Tiana Dalichov, 25-year-old Dayanna Volitich has promoted the idea that some races are smarter than others, that terrorism won't end until all Muslims are "eradicated," and praised the work of anti-Semitic authors and white supremacists. Volitich says her statements were political satire. Huffington Post. Citrus County Chronicle. WFLA. (more…)
