Zika and schools: Gov. Rick Scott orders Florida's Department of Health and Department of Education to provide mosquito repellent and teacher tool kits to all schools in Miami-Dade, Broward, Martin, Monroe and Palm Beach counties as a response to the continuing spread of the Zika virus. The state also will send educational materials to all schools, and Scott is requiring that each district have a plan to quickly deal with any suspected Zika cases. Health News Florida. News Service of Florida. Gradebook.

Recess initiative: Some state legislators are asking the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to research the ways school districts handle recess. Those lawmakers want the data this month so they can begin drafting bills for the next legislative session. Bills are due in January. An initiative to require daily recess was defeated in the last session. Gradebook.

Teacher shortage: A day before Marion County schools open, the district is still trying to hire 96 teachers to fill open positions. Superintendent George Tomyn says substitutes will be in the classroom until the hires can be made, hopefully in the next few months. “This is happening all across the state,” Tomyn said. Ocala Star Banner.

Enrollment growth: The Palm Beach County School District expects additional enrollment of 3,000 to 5,000 on the first day of school Aug. 15. The district is the 12th-largest in the United States. The district also says it will add 75 students in two popular magnet programs. Sun-Sentinel. Palm Beach Post. (more…)

Turnaround plans: The Polk County School District's plan to turn around five struggling middle schools is rejected by the Florida Board of Education. The board criticized the district's plan to retain some of the principals and low-rated teachers. Plans for underachieving schools in Duval and Orange counties were given conditional approvals, though the board said part of the Duval plan broke a state rule about school closures, and plans from Lee and St. Lucie counties were approved. Politico Florida. Florida Times-Union. TCPalm.

Contract negotiations: Marion County school officials are proposing a raise in pay for school employees. The raise is subject to negotiation with the district's unions, but the district's plan is to spend $3.6 million more in salaries than it did last year. The tentative budget submitted by Superintendent George Tomyn would increase 2.5 percent, to $519.3 million. Ocala Star Banner. The Volusia County School District reaches an agreement with bus drivers, cafeteria workers and other support staff. They will receive an average raise of 6.25 percent this year and 2.5 percent next year. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

School safety: U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, D-Tallahassee, introduces a bill in Congress that would place tech-forward alert systems in school classrooms. The The “Securing Our Schools Act” allows the Justice Department to award districts extra dollars for the systems, which would be evaluated for effectiveness after a year. Tallahassee Democrat.

Longer school days: The Palm Beach County School District is considering extending the elementary school day. Superintendent Robert Avossa says the six-hour day might have to be bumped by a half-hour to improve student performance. Palm Beach Post. (more…)

LGBT policy: The Brevard County School Board is expected to decide Tuesday whether to expand the district's anti-harassment policy by banning discrimination against students and staff on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. In April, on a 3-2 vote, the board agreed to schedule a vote on the policy to add lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people as a protected class. Florida Today.

Soft landing: A year after new school busing routes caused confusion and delays in Palm Beach County, the administrator most directly responsible for the problem is now making $111,000 a year in a district job in which he supervises three people and makes more than the department director. Steve Bonino was demoted in January from director of operations after the busing crisis, and now supervises the district’s program to remodel school cafeterias. Palm Beach Post.

Records lawsuit: The Orange County teachers union is suing the school district, accusing it of "completely ignoring" state law on open records. The union charges that the district put up roadblocks or ignored requests from the union for documents on employee discipline. saying it did not respond or that it put up hurdles when the union requested documents related to employee discipline. The district has not commented. Orlando Sentinel.

Art referendum: Pinellas County voters will be asked in November to renew a tax referendum that supports arts instruction in the district's schools. The tax, first passed in 2004, provides about $33 million a year to the district. Tampa Bay Times.

Driver's ed: Driver's education classes return to the Bay County School District for the first time since the program was cut to save money about a decade ago. Panama City News Herald. (more…)

Education lawsuit: The groups suing the state over the quality of public education are asking an appeals court to send the case directly to the Florida Supreme Court for an immediate review. Citizens for Strong Schools claims the lengthy appeals process is harming students. The state, and groups that support the state's position, say there's no reason to subvert the normal appeals process. The suit was dismissed in May by a circuit court judge. Politico Florida.

Gifted plan stalls: A plan to add gifted programs at eight Duval County middle schools meets with skepticism by the school board. Superintendent Nikolai Vitti says the programs are needed to curtail dwindling enrollment. School board members question why there's a lack of programs for inner-city schools. Florida Times-Union.

Charter school searched: The FBI searches the Okaloosa Academy Charter School, and seizes several boxes of materials. An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation. The Fort Walton Beach school, which serves at-risk students in grades 4-12, is run by the Rader Group of Miramar Beach. Its representatives also declined comment. Northwest Florida Daily News.

Cops in schools: Leon County School Superintendent Jackie Pons tells the school board he wants to hire police officers for almost every county school. He says the escalating violence in the country prompted his recommendation. There are deputies assigned to all middle, high and certain alternative schools, but many elementary schools share deputies. Hiring an additional eight officers would cost the district at least $350,000 each year. In other action, the school board approved the merger of Woodville middle and elementary into a single K-8 Woodville School. Tallahassee Democrat. (more…)

Education bills: The Florida House passes several education bills. Among them: Allowing students to enroll in any public school that has a vacancy, making the teacher bonuses program permanent, and giving charter schools an easier path to open in exchange for greater financial transparency. Miami Herald. News Service of Florida. Lakeland Ledger. WFSU.

School recess: A bill requiring daily recess at Florida elementary schools passes in the House but is stalled in the Senate. That's not stopping the group known as the "recess moms" from continuing to promote the idea. Orlando Sentinel. Miami Herald. Politico Florida. Gradebook.

Test stress: The preparation and anticipation of the Florida Standards Assessments tests puts a lot of stress on students and teachers. The tests begin Feb. 29. WJHG.

Testing opt-out: Seminole County school officials outline a process for handling students who won't be participating in state testing. And here's how Pasco County is handling the issue. Gradebook.

Text message update: Duval County School Board member Constance Hall apologizes for sending text messages to a school staffer calling for Superintendent Nikolai Vitti's firing and labeling one of his proposals "special ed in action." But she remains critical of Vitti's leadership skills. Florida Times-Union.

Book decisions: Brevard County School Board member Amy Kneessy is proposing a way to have more people challenge books used by Brevard schools. She also thinks the school board should have the final say on whether certain books remain in classrooms and library shelves. She says her proposals are just a way to make sure children are exposed to age-appropriate material. Florida Today. (more…)

Black achievement: A group of black activists say it's time the Pinellas County School Board takes responsibility for the failure rate of black students, which is higher than almost every school district in Florida. The group, the Concerned Organization for Quality Education of Black Students, also discussed a recent report from the Southern Poverty Law Center that found black students were disciplined more harshly and were twice as likely to drop out of school as white students. Tampa Bay Times.

School threats: School districts in central and south Florida and Texas are the latest to receive threats against schools. None were deemed credible. Associated Press. Miami Herald. Orlando Sentinel. Flagler and Volusia school officials say they take threats seriously and follow a strict process in determining the credibility of the threats. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Critical audit: A state audit shows that Broward County's school system is improperly placing students in special education programs and hiring teachers who don't have the proper certifications. Sun-Sentinel.

Charter schools: Florida Charter Educational Foundation chairman Rod Jurado says his group will appeal the Pasco County School Board's decision to reject his group's application to start a charter school in the county. The group is affiliated with Charter Schools USA. Gradebook.

New magnet programs: Pasco County will launch magnet programs at two middle schools next fall that focus on science, technology, engineering and math. Tampa Bay Times.

Contract negotiations: The Hillsborough County School District and the teachers union reach an agreement that gives teachers the potential for performance pay and provides a small raise for classroom aides. Tampa Bay Times.

Whooping cough case: A student at Palm Beach Central High School is diagnosed with whooping cough, a highly contagious disease. He's fine, but school and health officials quarantine seven classrooms. Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel.

School start times: School districts around the nation increasingly are following the advice of scientists and moving to later start times for middle and high school. Research shows that later start times help combat sleep deprivation in teens and improve academic success, attendance and mental health. Associated Press. (more…)

Parent trigger. This year's version clears its first hurdle on a party-line vote. Miami Herald, Orlando Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Associated Press, Tallahassee Democrat.

Charter schools. A state Department of Education reports says charter school students are outperforming traditional public school students in just about every head-to-head match up. Fort Myers News Press, redefinED, Gradebook, Sunshine State News.

Magnet schools. The Tallahassee Democrat applauds the Leon County school district for expanding them.

School spending. To deal with a projected budget shortfall, Pasco Superintendent Kurt Browning recommends eliminating all media specialists and reading coaches. Tampa Bay Times. Marion Superintendent George Tomyn, meanwhile, is planning to restore full-time music and art teachers, and media specialists, to all schools. Ocala Star Banner. The Manatee district has taken steps to recover from a $3.4 million budget deficit. Bradenton Herald.

Flipped classrooms. Some teachers are trying it into Flagler and Volusia. Daytona Beach News Journal.

Common Core. StateImpact Florida has three questions for Orange Superintendent Barbara Jenkins. (more…)