"Talk Scheduled at Catholic School in Bronx Promotes Fear of Anti-Gay Message."

So read a headline in the New York Times back in November. The half-page article sounded an alarm that the scheduled speaker, a priest, just might give parents - and, through them, children - an understanding of good and evil that is plainly unacceptable to the Times and probably injurious to the child and society. The article was more an essay than reportage and, perhaps, a prototype of contemporary journalism on issues respecting personal behavior. The relevance of this professional bent for the promoters of school choice deserves a word.

Imagine the mind of the Times writers as they blow the cover on this looming mischief. What an exposé - Catholics are conspiring to discourage sodomy! Though this threatening message was to be delivered only to parents, the journalists know that some vulnerable gay child is sure to be injured emotionally in the fallout. Indeed, the particular priest scheduled to speak “has long been involved with the Courage organization, a spiritual support group to encourage men and women to remain celibate.” If there were concerns that this organization was pushing further, instead pursuing an unstated strategy of reprograming gay students, the writers provided no clues.

Hence, we were left to imagine this fear: A priest intended to “encourage” chastity. Such a threat; beware the Inquisition! Happily the reporters told us to take heart: “More than 200 people” signed a Facebook petition to cancel the meeting. Such a big number (and how many of them parents)? It is worth noting that the journalists failed to ask those parents they did interview just what it was they had expected when they freely chose a Catholic high school - nor, why they did not now simply transfer to P.S. 209 and save the tuition while getting the message they want.

Flagship journalism frequently feels this obligation either to diminish or dominate public (or, here, even private) discussion of certain moral issues that the editors and writers consider settled. Among these is consensual sex. What one does with his body by choice is, by definition, okay. All opinion to the contrary is irrelevant; hence the threatened expression by this would-be Bronx speaker should be treated like any public nuisance - as a threat to be exposed and denounced. He may have the legal right to speak, but to exercise First Amendment rights in this manner, seeking to discourage gay sex, is at best de trop and, at worst, dangerous to children. It should be hissed from the stage. Bless those 200 Facebookers.

The prevalence of this attitude among these bright minds is suggestive for the politics of parental choice. First, this bent is not likely to diminish soon, partly because it arises from well-intentioned ignorance and long-engrained habits. (more…)

Bullying. Gov. Rick Scott signs the anti-bullying bill into law. Gradebook.

Teacher conduct. A private school teacher in West Delray is under investigation for allegations of sex with a student, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel. State officials are investigating whether a Collier County teacher verbally abused students, reports the NBC-2. A fired Duval teacher appeals, claiming age discrimination, reports the Florida Times Union.

Gays and lesbians. A federal judge rules in favor of a Lake County middle school student who wants to create a Gay Straight Alliance at her school. Orlando Sentinel.

K-8 schools. Orange County is going to create more of them. StateImpact Florida.

Spelling bee. A home school student from South Florida makes it to the semifinals, reports the Miami Herald. The winner, Arvind Mahankali of New York, is the sixth straight Indian-American to win and the 11th in the last 15 years. (more…)

Kiera Wilmot. Prosecutors won't file criminal charges against Kiera Wilmot, the Polk County student who has become a cause celebre after igniting a small chemical explosion on school grounds, reports the Lakeland Ledger. Beth Kassab says the arrest took things way too far. In the aftermath, neighboring Orange will get clarification on its zero tolerance policies, reports SchoolZone. Huffington Post op-ed: "Five ways to stop a black scientist."

Online learning. Privatization, everywhere. Bradenton Herald.

School choice. A private transportation option - at $1,350 annually per student - has emerged for students in Brevard's district choice schools, reports Florida Today.  The Palm Beach County school board is urged to move ahead with plans to create an all-boys middle school, reports the Palm Beach Post.

School administration. Pinellas Superintendent Mike Grego shuffles the team at the top. Gradebook.

School uniforms. The Volusia school board plans to again discuss the possibility - for students and teachers. Daytona Beach News Journal. (more…)

Teacher pay. Gov. Rick Scott embarks on his Teacher Pay Raise Pep Rally Tour. Coverage from the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Florida Times Union, Associated Press, StateImpact Florida. Teachers are "fed up with being used as political pawns," says Pinellas teachers union president Kim Black in this Steve Bousquet piece.

Charter schools. Gradebook pulls up some stats before today's discussion about charter schools at the Pasco County School Board. An amendment to the charter school bill makes it easier for charter schools to fire teachers, Gradebook also reports.

School security. The elementary school principals in Hillsborough who have armed guards in their schools like them. Tampa Bay Times.

School discipline. Hillsborough needs to follow up on conversations to address high suspension rates for black males. Tampa Bay Times.

School spending. Freeze in financially troubled Manatee. Bradenton Herald. (more…)

Parent trigger. Citing anonymous sources, Sunshine State News says Gov. Rick Scott helped kill parent trigger. Five GOP senators tell The Buzz he had nothing to do with it. Arne Duncan sorta kinda maybe a wee little bit endorses the concept of parent trigger, notes This Week In Education. Parents would have been at the mercy of for-profit charters because "parents of students in failing schools don’t necessarily have the skill sets to develop corrective plans," writes Florida Voices columnist Rick Outzen.

Tutoring. Lawmakers, including Sen. Dwight Bullard, D-Miami, try but fail to keep the mandated program for low-income kids after all. Tampa Bay Times.

Virtual schools. Florida Virtual School doesn't get as much as it expected due to funding changes. Times/Herald.

Turnaround schools. An attempt to restaff a struggling Pasco elementary school doesn't draw many applicants beyond existing teachers. Tampa Bay Times.

Private schools. A Christian school in Orlando plans to begin drug testing students. Orlando Sentinel.

Charter schools. The City of Cape Coral Charter School System has a new superintendent. Fort Myers News Press.

Teacher pay. Teachers won't have to wait for raises, reports the Tampa Bay Times and Tallahassee Democrat. Lawmakers ultimately do the right thing, writes the Tallahassee Democrat. (more…)

Marco Rubio. He's visiting a Tampa private school today to highlight his proposal for a federal tax credit scholarship. The Buzz.

Parent trigger. StateImpact Florida notes the Times/Herald story on the Sunshine Parents video and the parent trigger petition questions. So does Education Week, which includes a response from Parent Revolution. Senate vote on the parent trigger is expected today, reports Naked Politics. John Romano says the petition proves the narrative is true.

Teacher pay. StateImpact Florida writes up the compromise. South Florida teachers are disappointed with it, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel.  More from the Palm Beach Post, Orlando Sentinel, Northwest Florida Daily News, Tallahassee Democrat. Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee bureau chief Steve Bousquet says Gov. Rick Scott should veto the education budget to help teachers - and perhaps himself.

Teacher turnover. A study finds half of Duval teachers leave within five years. Florida Times Union.

Testing. Guidance counselors bear the brunt of FCAT test administration. Gainesville Sun.

Cyberbullying. Lawmakers pass a proposal to give school districts more power to deter bullies off campus and on line. Gradebook and Associated Press. (more…)

Parent trigger. Rep. Joe Saunders, D-Orlando, writes in this Orlando Sentinel op-ed that parents should have the choice to keep their child with a teacher with a bad eval. In this Tampa Bay Times letter to the editor, Carlos Alfonso with the Foundation for Florida's Future dispels parent trigger myths furthered by Times columnist John Romano.

Online learning. Both the House and Senate agree on a new way of calculating per-student spending that will result in an $8 million cut to virtual education, reports The Buzz. Study funding for virtual courses rather than cut it for Florida Virtual School, editorializes the Orlando Sentinel. St. Petersburg College creates a MOOC for remedial math, reports the Tampa Bay Times. Nine Hillsborough schools are experimenting with BYOD, the Times also reports. The Helios Foundation and SRI International are working to create a Center for Digital Learning in St. Petersburg, the Times also reports.

Charter schools. Parents fight the closing of the struggling Bradenton Charter School. Sarasota Herald Tribune.

Dual enrollment. Community college leaders say they may have to restrict the increasingly popular program if lawmakers don't better fund it. Orlando Sentinel.

Common Core. The Glenn Beck-fueled notion that Common Core is a leftist plot shows "we have officially arrived at Crazytown." Beth Kassab.

School spending. After convincing voters that the Seminole school district was in a financial bind, district leaders now aren't sure whether they need to collect the extra tax money. Orlando Sentinel. (more…)

Charter schools. The Pinellas school board will again consider whether to sell a vacant middle school building to a proposed charter school, reports Gradebook. A new charter school in Immokalee that will use blended learning is now enrolling students , reports the Naples Daily News.

Data. The Bradenton Herald editorial board: The data access bill by Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, won't compromise student privacy.

School choice. Jewish educators and leaders lobby for expanded school choice in the Capitol. Lubavitch.com.

Teacher evals. State Impact Florida: "A new study says error rates for teacher evaluations based on student test scores is “quite high,” but that the evaluations may still be more accurate than traditional measures."

Gays and lesbians. U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen files legislation to better protect gay and lesbian students from bullying, reports the Miami Herald. In support of the bill, a Leesburg eighth-grader tells reporters about being harassed, reports the Orlando Sentinel. (more…)

Parent trigger. Parent trigger passes House 68-51, with seven Republicans voting no. Tampa Bay Times, Orlando Sentinel, Associated Press. Orange County School Board Chair Bill Sublette paints a nightmare scenario against the parent trigger in this Orlando Sentinel op-ed.

Digital learning. The House passes a bill to expand access to online classes, with some Democrats voting yes, reports the Tallahassee Democrat. More from SchoolZone.

Charter schools. The House passes a charter school bill that beefs up accountability and makes it easier for high-performing charters to expand, reports the Orlando Sentinel. A proposed Montessori charter school in Lake County asks for more time, for a third time, to answer questions about finances and other issues, reports SchoolZone. The Naples Daily News profiles the Marco Island Academy charter school.

Tutoring. A House committee adds a provision to a bill that would undo a requirement that districts spend a portion of Title I dollars on parent-selected, private tutors for low-income kids. The Buzz.

More school choice rally. Sunshine State News, WFSU. (more…)

Charter schools. A split Bay County School Board gives an extension to a financially troubled charter school. Panama City News Herald.

Class size amendment. The Sarasota district utilizes more mixed-grade classrooms this year in an effort to comply. Sarasota Herald Tribune.

School closings. Broward Superintendent Robert Runcie announces the district will close one special needs school but keep another open. Miami Herald and South Florida Sun Sentinel. Port Canaveral may come to the rescue of three Brevard schools slated for closing, reports Florida Today.

School safety. The Bradenton Herald offers its thumbs up or down on this year's raft of school security bills, but doesn't mention the one that would require safety alerts for private schools.

School choice. The St. Lucie County district makes changes to its student assignment plan, including limiting choice options to some students in an effort to keep down cost, reports TCPalm.com.

Teacher conduct. A Clearwater teacher is accused of abusing two special needs students, reports the Tampa Bay Times. More from the Tampa Tribune. A Pinellas Park High School teacher is arrested in a teacher conduct case for reportedly having a sexual relationship with a students, the Times also reports. A parallel story involving teacher conduct in Orange County, reports the Orlando Sentinel. (more…)