Cold-weather closings: With winter storm watches and warnings posted across north Florida, several school districts have announced schools will close. Alachua County won't have classes today or Thursday, and Leon, Gadsden, Jefferson and Hamilton school officials are closing schools today. Other school districts and individual schools are monitoring the weather and some have already curtailed extracurricular activities. Much of northern Florida is expected to have freezing temperatures today and Thursday, with a chance of snow and ice. Miami Herald. WCTV. Tallahassee Democrat. Gainesville Sun. WJAX. WEAR. WTXL. WTLV. WOKV. Ocala Star-Banner.
Graduation options: An agreement is reached that will give the 10,000 or so Puerto Rican students who fled to Florida and enrolled in schools after Hurricane Maria the option to graduate with Puerto Rican diplomas. The Florida Department of Education and Puerto Rican Department of Education have agreed that all high school juniors and seniors from the island will now have the option of earning a diploma from schools here or from the island. Many educators worried that the displaced students might struggle to pass exams that are given in English and required for graduation in Florida. Orlando Sentinel. Gradebook. WDBO. WFTV. Gov. Rick Scott says 280,000 Puerto Ricans have sought refuge in Florida, and more are expected. Florida Times-Union. WLRN. WPLG.
Legislative priorities: The permanent expansion of Bright Futures scholarships and the "Hope Scholarship" that would provide money for bullying victims to switch schools are among the top priorities for legislative leaders this year. The Legislature convenes Jan. 9. Sunshine State News. Another bill that the Legislature will consider is the "Sunshine Scholarship" program, which would pay tuition balance at trade schools and community colleges for low-income students after they've run out of federal and state financial aid. WLRN.
