Around the state: The Florida Department of Education is preparing for a review of history standards, bus drivers are being sought in Orange, some gyms in Alachua lack air conditioning, voucher funds are trickling in and school board races are heating up statewide. Here are details about those stories and other developments from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:

Hillsborough: School board races are heating up statewide, with the qualifying deadline still eight months away for 2024 races. Issues such as content in school library books have come up as recurrent themes among a new crop of candidates. In Hillsborough, there are 10 challengers for four seats, which incumbents are planning to defend. Tampa Bay Times. Meanwhile, Hillel Academy of Tampa will open a school for the 2024-25 school year that will serve students in grades 9-12. “This marks a significant milestone in the institution’s commitment to excellence in education and holistic student development,” said Head of School Allison Oakes. Jewish Press Pinellas.

Orange: The school district here will offer bus drivers and mechanics a special sign-on bonus to attract new candidates for the jobs. Currently, there is a need for 100 new bus drivers in the district. A nationwide bus shortage has been worsened by early retirement, low driver pay and other factors that include health concerns over rising COVID-19 figures. WMFE.

Escambia: Facing book ban pressure, Michelle White, former coordinator of library services, resigned after 12 years serving the district. Pensacola News-Journal.

Leon: In an effort to improve development of young children before they start school, the Leon County School District is introducing the "Littles to Leaders" program in partnership with Capital Area Healthy Start Coalition. The initiative will support families with resources and education on the development of children from birth to 5 years old to get them prepared for school. “We are committed to doing everything we can to prepare this diverse population of young people to enter school ready to succeed, because if we can have an impact before they start school, we can spend the time (they) are in our classrooms building upon that foundation and not playing catch-up," LCS Superintendent Rocky Hanna said in a statement. Tallahassee Democrat.

Alachua: At least four Alachua County public schools have no air conditioning units in their gyms at a time when local temperatures are rising. Instead of air conditioning, gyms at Howard Bishop Middle, Westwood Middle, Mebane Middle and High Springs Community have fans, according to Jackie Johnson, schools spokesperson. Alachua County’s “Half-Cent for Schools” sales tax initiative, passed by local voters in 2018, was intended to help repair older schools, including broken-down air conditioners. But despite the massive repair work that’s followed at schools such as Howard Bishop, the added cost of installing a completely new A/C system in gyms proved prohibitive, according to Johnson. “It’s very hot. Too hot,” said Layla Robinson, a seventh grader at High Springs Community School and No. 3 on the Hawks’ varsity volleyball team. WUFT. Meanwhile, the Newberry City Commission is looking for ways to help families get students to school after the Alachua school district announced plans to cancel courtesy bus routes starting in January. Main Street Daily News.

Collier: GLSEN is a national nonprofit that provides teachers resources for LGBT-friendly classrooms. GLSEN Collier Co-Chair Chris Schmeckpeper-Kobzina said educators and students can get resources online or attend meetings in-person or virtually. "We're not going to stop coexisting with others teachers and making sure that everybody has the information that they need," Schmeckpeper-Kobzina said. Naples Daily News.

Indian River: Community members, parents and advocates brought their concerns about new African-American history standards to the school district of Indian county this week. WPTV.

Voucher money returns: School voucher funds in Florida began trickling into parent and private school accounts over the weekend after complaints surfaced that delayed payments were threatening to derail education for children. More than six weeks have passed since the fall semester began, and the delays have forced some school officials to use their own funds to keep operating. Tampa Bay Times.

History standards review: The Florida Department of Education is gearing up for a comprehensive review of academic standards that pertain to Asian-American and Pacific Islander history in accordance with recent legislative approvals. The state's education department has set the stage for a series of meetings to be held in October that constitute a "civics workgroup." The assembly's task involves reviewing and potentially crafting new standards in alignment with House Bill 1537.  Yahoo News. CBS 47.

Opinions on schools: Florida school districts have added a number of students more than three times the size of the K-12 enrollment of Wyoming between 2003-21, despite the growth of choice options. Moreover, Florida's spending per pupil increased faster than inflation during this period, so more students and a higher real spending per pupil is a very odd way to "destroy" school districts. Matthew Ladner, reimaginED. Tracking is one pernicious practice that sends damaging messages to students. Katey Arrington, The 74th. 

Sixteen-year-old Channing Smith of Tennessee killed himself after classmates circulated sexually explicit messages he exchanged with another boy. Fifteen-year-old Nigel Shelby of Alabama killed himself after peers bullied him over his sexual identity and school officials reportedly told him “being gay is a choice.” When 9-year-old James Myles of Colorado came out at his school, fellow students reportedly told him to kill himself. Tragically, he did.

In Florida, Elijah Robinson was harassed to the edge too. But for an educational choice scholarship that gave him an option – a safe, accepting private school – Elijah, 18, said he would no longer be alive.

Channing, Nigel, James and Elijah were students in public schools. That’s not a slam on public schools. It’s just a reminder, which I wish wasn’t necessary, that far too many LGBTQ students are tormented in far too many schools of all types.

It’s also a plea. LGBTQ students are two to three times more likely to experience bullying than non-LGBTQ students. I hope all of us who want to end that hostility will think twice about a narrative, recently buoyed by legislation filed in Florida, that casts programs that provide private school options as though they are inherently part of the problem. If the goal is ensuring the safety and affirmation of LGBTQ students – and not simply the tarring of educational choice – that doesn’t make sense.

Please consider what LGBTQ students say. According to the most recent survey by GLSEN, 72 percent of LGBTQ students in public district schools said they experienced bullying, harassment and assault due to their sexual orientation, compared to 68 percent of LGBTQ students in private, religious schools, and 60 percent in private, non-religious schools. For bullying, harassment and assault based on gender expression, the numbers in those three sectors were 61, 56 and 58 percent, respectively.

All those numbers are horrifically high. All lead to dark places. LGBTQ students are three times as likely as non-LGBTQ students to suffer from depression or anxiety. They’re twice as likely to experiment with drugs and alcohol. While 15 percent of non-LGBTQ high school students considered suicide over the past year, 40 percent of LGBTQ students did.

Educational options are not an antidote. But they can help.

In Florida, recent scrutiny over a relative handful of private schools that are not LGBTQ welcoming ignores a key point. Students are not assigned to those schools. Their parents can enroll them elsewhere. That’s often not the case for LGBTQ students suffering in assigned public schools. Elijah Robinson endured nearly two years of abuse in his assigned school before a scholarship gave him a way out. “If I had stayed,” he said, “I honestly think I would have lost my life.”

In Ohio, educators concerned about LGBTQ bullying in district schools opened a charter school for LGBTQ students. To be sure, some supporters had mixed feelings. As one parent told me, “We’re saying, ‘You’re so different, you need your own school’.” On the other hand, for many students at this school, having an option was literally a matter of life and death. “There’s a need,” said Henry, a transgender student who considered suicide in fifth grade, “for a school where people can feel like they belong.”

One day, I hope, all schools will be safe and affirming. In the meantime, it’s unconscionable to trap Elijah, Henry or any other student in any school that isn’t.

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…)