Around the state: Gov. RonDeSantis signed a ban on kids using social media, a high school in Tampa is revealing new renovations, Manatee commissioners approved plans for new schools and Bethune-Cookman University received a grant. Here are details about those stories and other developments from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Social media ban: Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill blocking most kids from social media sites. HB 3, passed by lawmakers this month, forbids kids 13 and younger from creating social media accounts and requires platforms to seek out and remove their profiles. Florida is following a handful of other states that have placed similar limits on the social media usage of children. It's unclear which media platforms would be affected by Florida’s legislation, which takes effect on Jan. 1, 2025. "Being buried in those devices all day is not the best way to grow up. It's not the best way to get a good education," DeSantis said during a news conference in Jacksonville. Tampa Bay Times. Axios. Politico. WPTV.
Hillsborough: After two years of construction, a high school in Tampa is revealing new renovations. A rededication ceremony was held at Robinson High to celebrate the Knights' new home. WFLA.
Manatee: Commissioners in this county approved plans for two new schools and a high school expansion in the Lakewood Ranch and Parrish communities. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Leon: The 2024-25 staffing plan proposed by Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna is about $17 million more than the current year's budget. Even so, the district is facing staff cuts. The most dramatic consequence: The academic interventionist positions will be cut from middle and high school campuses and reduced to two positions at each elementary school. All schools will maintain a social worker and an extra guidance counselor based on school population. Tallahassee Democrat.
Indian River: The school district here is considering transforming one of its elementary schools into a new educational model magnet school. WPTV.
Work hours: Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed a measure that will ease decades-old regulations on the hours that 16 and 17-year-old Floridians can work. The bill drew heavy debate early in the legislative session. Bill Herrle, president of the National Federation of Independent Business-Florida, said the bill will give parents control over the hours worked by teens. “No one wants young people to work longer hours or work under unsafe conditions,” Herrle said in a statement. “House Bill 49 simply gives parents and guardians the right to decide what’s right for their teens and helps Florida’s small businesses find workers.” News Service of Florida. WLRN.
Colleges and universities: A Florida Gulf Coast University grad and masters program participant has won a $5,000 grant to help continue marine research linked to the environment. Susannah Cogburn recently found that she was one of eight recipients of the research stipend via the Guy Harvey Fellowship in partnership with the fellowship and Florida Sea Grant. Cogburn is a master’s student from Winter Garden, studying environmental science, with a focus on marine ecotoxicology at FCGU. WGCU. A Florida State alum named Mike Ortoll is working to prevent substance abuse on college campuses. WXTL. Bethune-Cookman University has received an over $1 million grant to renovate buildings on campus. The funds will be used to renovate an academic building and football complex on campus. In a press release, BCU said these buildings will be used to provide “academic support, meeting and office space, recruiting, athletic locker rooms and other similar purposes to support student athletes.” The campus was hit hard by Hurricane Ian in 2022. WUSF. Florida Polytechnic University announced that its presidential search committee has named five finalists for the school's top job. The candidates each come from academic institutions, a departure from recent Florida university president searches that have resulted in the hiring of leaders from various professions. The new leader will replace the university’s first president, Randy Avent. Tampa Bay Times. University of Florida forestry students compete in annual skills contests. Main Street Daily News.
Opinions on schools: If there had been no Florida A&M University, the city of Tallahassee, the state of Florida and the nation would have been a poorer place in many ways. Because over the course of its 125 years, FAMU has been one of the nation's leading producers of opportunity for Black citizens — which has benefited us all. Gerald Ensley, Tallahassee Democrat.
Around the state: Members of the Alachua County Education Association are expressing concerns as they struggle to meet a membership threshold, pandemic funding is running out nationwide, Florida tops the nation in teacher vacancies and Florida A&M is receiving a federal grant. Here are details about those stories and other developments from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Brevard: Both Melbourne High and Viera High were placed on lockdown earlier this week as local law enforcement responded to what they suspect to be "swatting," a viral trend of making hoax calls of threats or scenarios that draw a large presence of emergency services or authorities. “We’re not sure where the calls came from,” said Sgt. Ben Slover, spokesperson for the Melbourne Police Department. Florida Today.
Pasco: A Beacon Christian Academy teacher was arrested this week after deputies say he used artificial intelligence to generate child pornography on yearbook photos of students at the school. Steven Houser of New Port Richey is a third grade science teacher at the school, authorities say. Tampa Bay Times.
Volusia: School officials here answered questions about an alternative school's transfer to Osceola. The Volusia County School Board made a decision in late February to relocate the Riverview Learning Center's alternative education program to the Osceola Elementary campus at the start of the 2024-25 school year. The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Alachua: Members of the Alachua County Education Association are expressing their concern as they struggle to meet a membership threshold. Members of the ACEA teachers union talked about changes they want in their contract during the school board meeting and mentioned the union is in danger of being abolished. WCJB.
New report: Community college enrollment rates have dipped 25% nationwide since 2011, according to a new report released by the Florida College Access Network. That has led FCAN to make a case to expand dual enrollment classes to all eligible middle and high schools statewide, allowing students to take college-level courses while still in middle or high school. “Dual enrollment provides a pathway to success for some of those underrepresented groups that might not otherwise start a pathway towards an associate's or, ultimately, a bachelor's degree,” said Dave Bush, the network’s director of research and policy. WUSF. WUWF.
Adults arrested: Two adults were arrested Tuesday after being accused of fighting a child at a school in South Florida. Germikia Denise Freeman, 32, and Charles Nathaniel Webb Jr., 37, were charged with child abuse with no great bodily harm, trespassing on school grounds after being given a warning and education institution interference. WSVN. KRDO.
Pandemic funding: The $190 billion in emergency funds given to schools during the pandemic is ending. NPR.
Teacher vacancies: Florida tops the nation in teacher vacancies. Florida has the highest demand for teachers, while Utah has the lowest. USA Today.
Principal news: The turnaround principal of Jefferson County K-12 school and a former longtime superintendent of Leon County Schools says he is keeping his options open amid community chatter that he plans to run for superintendent in Leon or Jefferson. Under Jackie Pons, the school earned a "C" grade from the state education department in 2023 after decades of lower grades. Tallahassee Democrat.
Colleges and universities: Allyson Watson, Florida A&M's vice president for academic affairs, announced this week that the university will be receiving $9 million to build community schools for young kids in the Big Bend. The award is part of a statewide partnership called Unlimited Potential Initiative that is shared between several colleges across the state, including the University of Central Florida and Florida International University. It’s meant to offer kids from low-income areas an opportunity to attend university-affiliated schools with the hopes of getting them more interested in going to college. WFSU. The Florida Institute of Technology soon will offer a degree in artificial intelligence. WFTV.
Opinions on schools: The year 2024 will be monumental for Florida International University. In addition to continuing to top the state's performance-based funding metrics, the university is anticipated to be named a preeminent state university by the Florida Board of Governors at its June meeting. Kenneth Jessell and Brian Lamb, Miami Herald. Florida is ranked the No. 1 state in education, according to U.S. News and World Report. Florida is also ranked tops in education freedom and parent empowerment, according to separate reports, and we have undertaken the largest expansion of school choice in the nation’s history while breaking our own teacher pay records year after year. Manny Diaz, The 74th. Florida’s online schools have grappled for years with a logistical challenge: Getting their students to the campuses of brick-and-mortar schools, operated by school districts, to take their standardized tests. Travis Pillow, NextSteps.
Broward: School employees here will be soon receiving bigger paychecks after the school board approved an agreement with workers unions. Under the deal, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, police officers and other school support staff will be paid 5.5% more, at least for the next four years. That's after the county's voters passed a tax referendum in 2022 to invest in high salaries, mental health resources and school safety. “This helps retain our staff and our employees to make sure that they know we respect them,” Broward Superintendent Peter Licata told reporters after the vote. WLRN. WSVN.
Duval: School officials here are ready to start construction on an estimated $120 million project that would replace Ribault High with a next-generation school financed largely by a voter-approved sales tax. “It’s going to be a sight to see,” School Board member Darryl Willie told a crowd at a groundbreaking. Florida Times-Union.
Sarasota: Two years after the school board here redrew boundaries for the areas represented by the panel's five members, the board started the process to revise district lines yet again. With a lone board member dissenting — Tom Edwards — the school board voted 4-1 to approve a $39,000 contract with a consultant to launch the redistricting effort. Sarasota Herald Tribune. Meanwhile, the school board also adopted a $1.5 billion budget at a special meeting on Monday, ending the district's yearly budget process. The board voted 4-1 to approve the budget, with only Chairwoman Bridget Ziegler dissenting. Sarasota Herald Tribune.
Flagler: The school board in Flagler has assigned fellow board member Will Furry to hire a labor attorney at the district's expense who will assist in firing Kristy Gavin, the board's attorney, without risking a lawsuit. Flagler Live.
Alachua: The school board here hosted a workshop on Wednesday covering transportation changes coming to the Alachua County Public Schools district. Those changes include the elimination of courtesy stops, reduction of magnet stops and re-evaluation of school start times. In the face of a bus driver shortage, students who ride the bus have been up to an hour late for school since the fall semester began. Main Street Daily News.
Blue Ribbon honors: In all, 14 schools in the state of Florida were named National Blue Ribbon schools, according to the U.S Department of Education. The program "recognizes public and private elementary, middle and high schools based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups," the department's website said. In all, about 350 schools were named National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2023. WKMG. Patch. WQCS.
University and college news: The U.S. Department of Education on Monday asked state officials to pump more funding into Florida Agriculture & Mechanical University, pointing to what the federal agency called "longstanding and ongoing underinvestment" by the state of Florida. Miguel Cardona, U.S. Secretary of Education, sent letters to Gov. Ron DeSantis and governors of 15 other states highlighting what he noticed as funding disparities between historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCU's, and their "non-HBCU land-grant peers" in the states. According to Cardona's letter, over the past three decades, FAMU has been shortchanged financially by $1.97 billion. “These funds could have supported infrastructure and student services and would have better positioned the university to compete for research grants,” Cardona wrote. WFSU. A study by Degreechoices revealed that the University of Florida is the third best school based on value for money. UF was one of more than 400 national universities and colleges analyzed by college return of investment staff at Degreechoices. Main Street Daily News. Pasco-Hernando State College announced Tuesday that Jesse Pisors was selected as the school's fifth president. Pisors has served as vice president at Texas AP&M University-San Antonio and the University of Houston-Victoria. He was one of four finalists for the job. “We have full confidence that Dr. Pisors will continue to uphold the college’s core values and will lead PHSC to further success in all future endeavors,” Lee Maggard, chairperson of the college’s board of trustees, said in a news release. Tampa Bay Times. The Florida State University System's Board of Governors discussed a proposal by the University of Central Florida to close three of its campuses. According to state officials, the proposal would close the university's South Orlando, Leesburg and Palm Bay campuses. WKMG. The Biden administration has requested a federal judge to dismiss Florida's lawsuit against the accreditation requirements for colleges and universities, citing constitutional challenges. Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Education filed a 40-page motion disputing Florida's arguments that the decades-old accreditation system gives too much power to private accrediting agencies. CBS 47. Action News Jax. Generative artificial intelligence is being integrated into higher education at Florida Gulf Coast University. WGCU.
Opinions on schools: Students must learn math. "Future of work" studies consistently underscore this point as analytical thinking and other math-rooted cognitive skills have become core to success in today's economy. Jeff Livingston, The 74th.
Broward: The school board here chose three external candidates as finalists for the superintendent position. Of the seven semifinalists, the board advanced Peter Licata, Sito Narcisse and Luis Solano. Internal candidate Valeria Wanza was not included in the board's picks. Miami Herald.
Brevard: Three poetry collections were the first books to be officially barred for the next eight years from the shelves of Brevard Public Schools libraries and classrooms. More books may be joining their ranks later this summer. The book committee is comprised of five board-appointed members. Florida Today.
Sarasota: The school board here ranked Terrence Connor, an administrator for Hillsborough County schools, as its top choice to be the district's next superintendent. Search firm representatives from McPherson & Jacobson presented six short-list candidates to School Board members. The Board narrowed their ranking to four candidates: Connor, Josiah Phillips, Charles Van Zant and Allison Foster, the current interim administrator. The board will conduct private interviews with each of the four candidates this week and meet again on Monday morning for a public workshop. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The Daily Sun.
Pinellas: A former legislative staffer for Chris Latvala has filed to run for the Pinellas County School Board seat held by Carol Cook, who hasn't decided whether to run for reelection after having served on the board since 2000. Katie Blaxberg of Clearwater has worked as a teacher and real estate agent in addition to working for Latvala. Tampa Bay Times.
Escambia: Conditions considered alarming inside Warrington Middle School are proving how challenging it will be for Charter Schools USA to revamp the campus in a matter of months. Dr. Eddie Ruiz, who oversees all 65 Florida schools under Charter Schools USA, says the current conditions are unacceptable. The first steps: Hiring a principal and qualified teachers. WEAR.
Citrus: The Historic Hernando School recently received a historic marker dedication that was provided by the Daughters of the American Revolution Fort Cooper chapter. The school was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, and is the oldest historic public building in Hernando, Florida. The land on which the building stands was obtained through a U.S. government land grant that was awarded to Edward Croft in 1885. Citrus County Chronicle.
COVID class: Some have called the current graduation classes of seniors the "class of COVID" since they were freshmen when the pandemic began and were seniors when the public health emergency formally ended in May. The pandemic brought unprecedented upheaval, dominating their high school experiences. Orlando Sentinel.
State study: Hot-button topics were not included on the state's news voluntary health survey for teens. The Florida-specific youth survey, or FSYS, replaced the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's youth risk behavior survey, or YRBS. The YRBS is a bi-annual voluntary student questionnaire that has been used to chart and compare risky behaviors among U.S. teens. Last year, Manny Diaz, the state's education commissioner, asked school districts to stop participating in the CDC survey. Now, with the help of researchers from the University of South Florida, Florida’s Department of Education (FDOE) put together its own youth survey. ABC Action News.
Free meals: More states are lined up to serve free school meals to children. New York is one of many states where legislators are trying to make school breakfasts and lunches available to some — if not all — students, at no charge. Six states recently implemented state-sponsored universal free meal programs in schools, which are California, Colorado, Main, Massachusetts, Nevada and Vermont. About 20 states have considered bills this year that would make free school meals permanent, the Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center reports. During the pandemic, the federal government paid to make school breakfasts and lunches free for all students. Orlando Sentinel. Meanwhile, in Bay County, summertime for some kids means not knowing where they will get their next meal. That prompted school officials to offer two meals a day for anyone under 18. “They must go through the front office with their guardian or parent and they must eat on-site,” said Bay District School’s Community Engagement Specialist Stephanie Werchan. “Otherwise, they are welcome to come through, get a healthy meal, and not go hungry over the summer.” WMBB.
Theatre list: The Educational Theatre Association released its top 10 lists of plays and musicals performed in high schools during the 2022-2023 school year. More than 2,300 private and public high school teachers across the United States participated. NPR.
University and college news: A potential class action lawsuit that alleges state discrimination against Florida A&M University, a historically Black public university, is moving forward. The six plaintiffs, who are students, argue that the state has failed to meet its funding obligations to FAMU, and has maintained a "segregated system of higher education." WUSF. An attempt by Bethune-Cookman University to obtain an order that would force its former alumni association to stop using the name of the school's founder was rejected by an appeals court recently. The dispute was part of a larger lawsuit that the university brought against the Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune National Alumni Association, formerly known as the National Alumni Association of Bethune-Cookman University. The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Opinions on schools: Experts recommend equipping students with essential knowledge and skills to address mental health in the classroom and to mitigate increased rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts among young people. Schools have yet to adapt to this reality by creating spaces in the classroom to discuss mental health and wellness. Alison Malmon, The 74th.
Around the state: County school boards and charter schools must follow new requirements for notifying parents about bathroom and locker room policies under rules adopted by the state Board of Education, a book giveaway occurred in Escambia, Florida A&M University officials purchased an apartment complex to help student housing woes, school board races moved forward statewide and an analysis of swatting calls at schools. Here are details about those stories and other developments from the state's districts, private schools and colleges and universities:
Broward: Superintendent Vickie Cartwright has been on the job since February and has already faced evaluation from School Board members. School Board members voted to not support the "process" of the recent evaluation, saying it could be a precursor to the possibility Cartwright could be fired in coming weeks. WPLG. South Florida Sun Sentinel. A student at Cypress Bay High founded a club that has raised enough money to outfit every classroom in her high school with a medical Stop the Bleed kit. The idea was inspired by the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in 2018. Miami Herald. The school district here is preparing for a recession. Staff requested for $7.7 million to be "realigned" from the general fund into the unassigned fund. South Florida Sun Sentinel. Parents are getting a say in next year's calendar. They have been emailed a survey link if they have a child enrolled in Broward's K-12 schools. South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Hillsborough: Some teachers move to charter schools — which are publicly funded but independently managed — after facing discipline elsewhere. But it's unclear how extensively charter schools review them. Tampa Bay Times. Meanwhile, an ongoing bus driver shortage issue is causing some parents frustration regarding when their children arrive late to school. WFLA.
Orange: Four candidates are vying in runoffs in the Orange County School Board election. In District 2, Heather Ashby is running against Maria Salamanca, and in District 3, Michael Daniels is running against Alicia Farrant.
Pinellas: Critics say candidate Dawn Peters, running for an at-large seat on the school board here, has a more extreme set of views than her campaign reveals. They have begun passing around screenshots from her social media accounts. Tampa Bay Times.
Lee: Education advocates have spoken out against a referendum here that would make the school superintendent position an election position. It has been an appointed position in Lee since 1974. WGCU.
Brevard: Two teachers will face off for the final Brevard School Board seat being contested this year. Florida Today.
Pasco: School Board hopeful Al Hernandez has suffered another legal blow in his fight to stay on the Nov. 8 ballot. After being declared ineligible for the general election by circuit court Judge Susan Barthle, Hernandez hired lawyers who wanted Barthle to put a stay on her order while he appealed, but Barthle refused. Tampa Bay Times. Students who attended Mittye P. Locke Elementary School in New Port Richey will attend different schools starting next fall. The school board on Tuesday unanimously agreed to shut down the school at the end of May and change it into a 10-classroom early education center that focuses on Head Start and prekindergarten. Tampa Bay Times.
Sarasota: At its first meeting since Hurricane Ian hit the southwest coast of the state, the School Board here convened to discuss damage from the storm along with other business. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Escambia: Students at Warrington Elementary received a gift Wednesday when "Two Men and a Truck" moving company partnered with "First Book" to give away books to students. WEAR.
Columbia: Two people were arrested after an incident that resulted in the lockdown of a Lake City area elementary school on Wednesday. Tyrese Bradley and Ja'Marion Terry were taken into custody by the Columbia County Sheriff's Office after fleeing on foot. First Coast News.
Rules adopted: The state Board of Education approved a wide array of rule changes on Wednesday that include a measure requiring school districts to inform parents about the presence of student bathrooms not separated by biological sex at birth. The Board also adopted a rule to prohibit lessons on sexual orientation or gender identity for students in kindergarten through third grade, and a rule regarding elementary school libraries. Teachers could lose their licenses for violating the rules. Orlando Sentinel. Tampa Bay Times. News 4 Jax. Florida Politics. Miami Herald. Pensacola News Journal.
Mental health: On the heels of a jury's recommendation last week to spare Nikolas Cruz the death penalty in connection to the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, some wonder if mental health played into the killings. Florida Phoenix.
School refusal: Studies suggest that 1 to 2 percent of all students experience school refusal at some point in their school careers, and students with specific disabilities can be at particular risk in middle and high school. Education Week.
Student harassment: The majority of LBGTQ students who attended school in person during the 2020-21 academic year experienced some form of harassment or assault, according to a study. The 74th.
New preschool: The permitting phase is underway for construction to begin on a new preschool, which is slated to open in late spring 2023 in Ocala. The preschool is part of the new expansion program of the Florida Center for the Blind, and is funded by a $600,000 grant that was approved by the Marion County Commission in March of 2022 to purchase land. WUFT.
Swatting calls: At least 16 emergency calls across Florida on one day recently reported an active shooter at a school. Each call ended up being a hoax. Tampa Bay Times.
University and college news: Florida A&M University bought the 118-bed Light House at Brooklyn Yard apartment complex on Eugenia Street in an effort to assist with higher demand for on-campus housing. Aging residence halls are scheduled for demolition, and the university is planning to add up to 2,000 on-campus beds in the next few years. WFSU. The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice announced the appointment of Angela Garcia Falconetti, president of Polk State College, to the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention State Advisory Group. Lakeland Ledger.
Opinions on schools: The state's secretive new university presidential search law is a colossal failure and a greater insult to the public than expected. South Florida Sun Sentinel.
School choice. The Black Alliance for Educational Options draws 650 attendees from 20 states to Orlando for its annual symposium. Check out #SY2013 on Twitter for what's happening. Legendary school choice activist Howard Fuller says attendees shouldn't be knee-jerk about the participation of for-profit companies. Also check out this redefinED podcast with BAEO President Ken Campbell.
Charter schools. Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform, tells SchoolZone Florida needs additional charter school authorizers and that the current system favors charter management companies over mom-and-pop charter schools. The House Appropriations Committee approves a charter schools bill that would tighten accountability and require school districts to share empty classroom space with charter schools, reports The Buzz.
Sequestration. Will take a bite out of already dwindling construction funds. The Florida Current. Gradebook.
Superintendents. The Hernando school board picks Lori Romano, the director of adult, community, secondary and virtual education programs for Martin County Public Schools. Gradebook.
Principals. More than 200 students and parents protest the apparent ouster of a high school principal in Broward. South Florida Sun Sentinel. (more…)
