In the Legislature: The legislative session came to an end on Friday, with lawmakers working to finalize several measures that could impact schools for years to come. Spectrum News. Florida school districts could soon be authorized to allow volunteer chaplains to provide services to students under a bill given final passage by the Senate. Senators voted 28-12 to approve HB 931, which the House passed last month. The proposal is headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis. Under the bill, school districts and charter schools could craft policies to allow volunteer chaplains to provide "support, services and programs" to students, if such policies follow certain requirements. Orlando Sentinel. WFSU. Yahoo News. The history of communism could be taught in lower grades. Daytona Beach News-Journal. WKMG. Miami Herald. Meanwhile, a Pasco family's 15-year effort to collect financial relief for their son's injuries in a school bus crash fell apart in the last days of the Florida legislative session. Tampa Bay Times.
Palm Beach: A majority of the Palm Beach School Board voiced support for building a new high school in Riviera Beach, which is a development supporters say is long overdue and would make good on a promise to the city's majority Black community. “We made a promise to the citizens of Riviera Beach and Palm Beach County that we will be constructing this high school,” said School Board Member Edwin Ferguson, who represents Riviera Beach and has championed the plan. “I do think the time is right for us to … to make good on that promise.” But some school board members argue that there are not enough students in the city to warrant building a new school there. WLRN.
Miami-Dade: At the start of the 2023-24 school year, Florida faced a staggering challenge: There were over 5,000 teaching positions that remained unfilled. In Miami-Dade, there were about 70 core instructional teacher positions that remained vacant. In response, district officials are formalizing a partnership with the Teacher Accelerator Program (TAP) through a memorandum of understanding. TAP, an initiative of Achieve Miami, hopes to alleviate the teacher shortage by offering a streamlined pathway into the profession for college students who did not major in education. "This program provides an opportunity for you to prepare before you enter the classroom," said Jose Dotres, schools superintendent. WPLG.
Broward: Some good health news was heard on Friday in this county when the district confirmed the measles outbreak was over. The 21-day infectious period at Manatee Bay Elementary in Weston "ended on March 7," an official said. The county had confirmed nine cases of measles in February, and seven of them were students at the Weston K-5 elementary school. At Manatee Bay, 3% of its student body are not vaccinated. The other two Broward measles cases involved children age 4 or younger. Miami Herald. Tampa Bay Times. Meanwhile, the state is investigating Broward schools over charter school funds. In a letter sent Thursday to Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Peter Licata, Florida Department of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz said employees may be contacted during the investigation. In the letter, Diaz wrote the "Broward County School District is not complying with Florida laws requiring it to share revenue collected via a discretionary tax," adding that if the district doesn't comply the state "may impose certain sanctions, including withholding the transfer of state funds, discretionary grant funds, discretionary lottery funds." NBC Miami.
Seminole: An administrative investigation is underway at Seminole High after a complaint of public displays of affection — but those involved are school resources officers and not students. Fox 35.
SAT exam: As the SAT exams go all digital, students have mixed reviews of the new format. Orlando Sentinel.
Spring break: Dates vary for breaks in Jacksonville-area schools. Florida Times-Union.
Colleges and universities: Florida State, Florida A&M and Tallahassee Community College are in line to receive millions toward several key legislative requests in this year's state budget. Tallahassee Democrat. University of Florida students protested outside of the Board of Trustees meeting on Friday over the university's decision to eliminate all of its diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI positions. ABC News. A University of Florida-led study points to earlier detection of Alzheimer's disease. Main Street Daily News.
Opinions on schools: New College of Florida should end secrecy over President Richard Corcoran's incentive pay. Rodrigo Diaz, Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Gov. Ron DeSantis and his sidekicks are busy trying to upend Florida's cultural, educational and other systems. Barrington Salmon, Florida Phoenix.
In the Legislature: As the legislative session closes today, a variety of items are still uncertain as they head to the governor's desk. The state Department of Education could soon be responsible for preparing academic standards about the history of communism to be taught in grades as low as kindergarten under a bill that received final approval in the Florida House. The House voted 106-7 to pass the measure, SB 1264. Under the bill, the curriculum would begin in the 2026-27 school year and would have to be "age appropriate and developmentally appropriate" for all grade levels. The lessons would also be required to cover particular topics. Public-school students currently can get lessons about communism in high-school social studies courses, and in a seventh grade civics and government class. Tampa Bay Times. Orlando Sentinel. State lawmakers walked back a proposal to restrict how families can spend their state-funded education vouchers. Instead of restricting state-funded scholarship spending to core subject areas as originally introduced, the bill that cleared the Legislature on Thursday only requires organizations that administer the vouchers to produce “handbooks” that detail what expenses are allowed and prohibited. Politico. Tampa Bay Times. While some legislative leaders are highlighting record levels of education spending during the legislative session, the state's largest teachers union says that won't remove Florida from low rankings for teacher pay or per-student spending. The budget plan included $1.2 billion toward teacher salaries and a boost in per-student spending. “We are increasing K-12 per student funding to an unprecedented level, including raising the base student allocation, which we know provides important, needed flexibility for our districts,” said Republican Sen. Keith Perry, Chair of the Senate Education Appropriations Committee, in a prepared statement. Florida Politics. K-12 students are a step closer to getting lessons from designated "patriotic" groups. Florida Politics. The Florida Senate gave final approval to a measure designed to keep "identity politics" out of teacher preparation programs that lead to educators getting their professional certificates, preparing the bill to go to Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Senate voted 28-12 to approve HB 1291 a week after the House passed the measure. CBS Miami. WFTV. Politico.
Miami-Dade: A 14-year-old girl had her shoulder dislocated and her thumb broken during an altercation with a Miami-Dade schools police officer at a Miami Gardens school, her family's lawyer announced. Miami Herald.
Palm Beach: An elementary school teacher in Palm Beach will not be disciplined after she sent a letter to School Board officials asking them to "publicly recognize the Palestinian community" in their communications about the Israel-Hamas war and posted a photo that featured the slogan "from the river to the sea" on her personal Facebook page. Palm Beach Post.
Broward: Fifth-grader Jasmine Perez from Bayview Elementary won the Miami Herald Broward County Spelling Bee held in Ft. Lauderdale on Thursday. Miami Herald.
Hillsborough: The school district here is urging commissioners to maintain the district's sales tax funds. The Community Investment Tax or CIT has funded schools since 1996, but county commissioners are debating whether to keep the district in its tax plan. The tax is set to expire in 2026. WUSF.
Sarasota: Tashaun Bryant, a senior at Sarasota Military Academy, is recipient of the 2024 STRIVE Award. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Alachua: The organization attempting to convert three public schools in Alachua into charter schools announced their proposal governance structure. There is a split opinion on whether schools in Newberry should turn into charter schools. The new structure would create governing board seats appointed by the Newberry and Archer city commissions. WCJB.
College and university news: Earlier this month, the University of Florida eliminated 13 full-time employees and 15 administrative positions connected with diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on campus. On Wednesday, the Steamboat Institute Campus Liberty Tour made the first of five national stops at the University of South Florida for a debate on the use of public funds for DEI in higher education. WUSF. The University of Florida is poised to acquire 2,658 acres of land just west of Gainesville after a state appropriations list released this week included funding for the purchase. Main Street Daily News. Florida Politics.
In the Legislature: The Florida House passed a revised bill on Wednesday that seeks to limit social media for teens. The House voted 109-4 to approve the plan. On Monday, lawmakers in the state Senate voted 30-5 in favor of the revised bill that still limits teen use and the apps they can download. The Legislature backed a new age limit of 14 years old for opening accounts among other tweaks that were introduced to help the bill survive legal challenges that may occur and to garner support from Gov. Ron DeSantis. WBBH. WPLG. Politico. Legislation granting lawmakers the choice to make security funding for private Jewish day schools a recurring part of the state's budget is cleared for a signature from Gov. Ron DeSantis. Senators voted 39-0 for HB 1109, which would direct the state Department of Education to establish a regular funding model for guards, cameras, fencing and other items at Jewish schools. Florida Politics. JaxToday. The Florida Senate approved a bill with a provision for placing a cap of one book challenge per month for people who don't have students enrolled in the school district in which they placed an objection. The vote came after the Legislature's top leaders expressed the need to rein in frivolous objections to materials available in libraries and classrooms. Creative Loafing. Florida Phoenix. The Florida House approved renaming Tallahassee Community College to Tallahassee State College. Tallahassee Democrat. WCTV. The Senate unanimously approved a bill Monday to set aside $20 million in restitution for victims of abuse at two now-shuttered reform schools. The bill is now in the hands of Gov. Ron DeSantis. The bill creates a process for former inmates at the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna and the Florida School for Boys to make claims over mental, physical or sexual abuse between 1940 and 1975. It's estimated that victims will receive about $50,000 each. CBS 12. Fox 13.
Orange: The school district here and its teachers union reached an agreement to provide "historic" raises of nearly 10% to most teachers and hike their insurance premiums, but also to delay making employees pay the full cost of those insurance increases until the 2025-26 school year. If teachers ratify the agreement, they could get raises in April. The average annual raise would be $5,400, retroactive back to the first day of work for the current school year. Orlando Sentinel.
Duval: The school district in Duval recommended to the school board that at least two elementary schools be demolished and combined with a third school. School board members talked demolition plans at a meeting earlier this week and approved the consolidation. The vote lies in the hands of the state Department of Education to approve. Two schools were up for consideration: S.A. Hull Elementary and Reynolds Lane Elementary. If approved, they would consolidate into Pickett Elementary after it is rebuilt. News4Jax.
Polk: The school district in Polk created a parent liaison position for students with special needs. The Exceptional Student Education parent liaison will bridge the gap between parents and the school district, ensuring parents understand the services available for the children. Baynews9.
Brevard: The school board here plans to implement changes to the student code of conduct for the upcoming year. During a recent work session, board members agreed on dozens of tweaks to the current code. The final draft of the 2024-25 code still has to be finalized and approved at a board meeting. Most changes being proposed encompass creating clearer definitions within the code of conduct regarding punishable behaviors and consequences. These changes were proposed by Student Services in collaboration with work groups that met several times since fall 2023. Florida Today.
Marion: Leaders here approved an impact fee to help pay for new schools. The proposal, approved by the county commission, would require developers to pay an impact fee on every new residential home built. WKMG.
Citrus: The school district here will receive a boost in the form of grant money coming from the workforce development capitalization incentive grant program. The district was recently approved for a $2 million grant that will go toward its welding program. The district already has a construction academy for their high school students. The new funding will support the creation and expansion of 30 programs aimed at enhancing workforce development, which are designed to offer students hands-on educational experiences in various fields that include construction. “It’s wonderful to see them in there with their hammers, their saws and everything that’s going on for the construction academy,” said Citrus County Schools Director of Career, Technical and Adult Education Debra Stanley. BayNews9.
Alachua: The school board here unanimously approved a recommendation to keep "It Feels Good to be Yourself" in the Terwilliger Elementary School library during a recent regular meeting. Main Street Daily News. Meanwhile, school board Chair Diyonne McGraw reiterated her support for the superintendent and said the school district is on track for improvement during an appearance at the Alachua Chamber of Commerce. McGraw told about 50 chamber members that Superintendent Shane Andrew is bringing both stability and great changes to the district. Main Street Daily News.
Poll results: A poll released last month showed widespread support for public education in Florida. WGCU.
University and college news: Servicemembers hoping to pursue a master's degree in Florida may get to skip the exam requirement on their applications. "Graduate Program Admissions" (SB 494/HB 511), which passed the Florida House earlier this week, would waive the graduate record exam or GRE and the graduate management admission test or GMAT for those currently in the U.S. armed forces, Florida National Guard and the U.S. reserve forces. “Waiving these tests is an action streamlining our veterans opportunity to compete for admission to our state’s graduate programs," said Billy Francis, director of the Student Veterans Center at Florida State University. Tallahassee Democrat. The United Faculty of Florida released a statement earlier this week in response to the University of Florida's announcement last week it was eliminating all positions related to diversity, equity and inclusion or DEI, effective immediately. The Gainesville Sun. WCJB. A University of Miami student was killed while riding his scooter to the Coral Gables campus on Monday, the school reported. Daniel "Danny" Bishop was a senior majoring in mathematics and psychology, the university said in a statement. Miami Herald.
In the Legislature: A pair of bills in the Florida state Legislature could allow Satanic priests to volunteer in Florida schools. Senate Bill 1044 and companion House Bill 931 let public schools allow volunteer chaplains to provide student counseling services. "We are empowering the school districts to make decisions that are in the best interest of their children, in their communities, and setting the requirements that they feel would be necessary to protect their children and make sure that any type of counseling is legitimate counseling," said state Sen. Gayle Harrell. Under the U.S. Constitution, the state can't dictate which religious groups are eligible to volunteer, which would open the door for groups like the Satanic Temple to allow their clergy to provide services to students. Fox 35. Meanwhile, community members are split over a proposed bill that would allow religious chaplains to counsel students in Florida schools. While some see the benefit in offering more services, others are opposed and say religion has no place in public schools. The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Palm Beach: Between the beginning of the 2023-24 school year on Aug. 10 and Feb. 15, four books were challenged in Palm Beach County through complaints to individual schools, district records show. Only one was removed from the shelves temporarily. The last book to be formally challenged in Palm Beach County was the Bible. The objection was denied four times and remains on school library shelves. Palm Beach Post.
Hillsborough: The school board here approved principal appointments at two schools on Tuesday. Tampa Bay Times.
Pinellas: Students in this county could find it easier to opt out of their final exams next year under a plan that would allow students to exempt semester exams for as many as three courses in which they are averaging a "C" grade or better over both quarters and have not missed more than five days in those classes. The plan was presented to the school board Tuesday. Like other school systems, Pinellas has seen a spike in absenteeism that has lingered in years since the pandemic. Tampa Bay Times.
Pasco: The school district here has agreed to change the way its schools treat students with disabilities as part of a settlement that is related to a U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation. The DOJ announced the settlement with the school district on Tuesday after a lengthy investigation found Pasco schools engaged in disability discrimination. The investigation also identified issues with the way schools conducted threat assessments. Tampa Bay Times.
Polk: Southwest Middle School unveiled its $55 million transformation, which offers the latest educational technology in three new buildings. “We have the ability every single day to change the trajectory of a child’s life,” said Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Fred Heid. “But we need an educational environment that will allow that to sustain over time. And I’m very proud of the work that went into this facility to ensure that we honor, recognize and maintain the legacy and the history of those who came before the students who are here today.” LkldNow.
Marion: High schools in this county can nominate one student each week for Student of the Week. Candidates include students who have shown outstanding academic and school achievement and community service. Nominations are due Thursday. Ocala Star Banner.
SAT news: The SAT, a college admissions exam completed using paper and pencil, is now officially digital. This week, students in the U.S. will begin taking the new SAT on their own devices or on school devices. The test is also one hour shorter, down from three hours, and has shorter reading passages. The revamped test is aimed to make grading easier and cheating harder. Students can take the test at a high school or a test center. "Today's students, they do a lot of their living digitally, they do a lot of their learning digitally and they do a lot of their test taking digitally," said Priscilla Rodriguez, who oversees the SAT for the College Board, the organization behind the test. NPR. The 19th.
Course removal: Last month, Florida officials removed sociology as one of the core courses that students can choose to finish their studies at public colleges and universities. In its place, the state inserted a new option for students, which is an introductory course surveying U.S. history up to 1877. That class spans U.S. history from the discovery of the Americas to the end of Reconstruction after the Civil War. Tampa Bay Times.
Colleges and universities: The president of Edward Waters, the state of Florida's oldest historically Black college and university, or HBCU, is dealing with old perceptions as the university grows. In response to a leader who said that the school had not done enough to make itself visible to the Jacksonville business community, A. Zachary Faison took to X to say, "“EWU has been present in Jacksonville for nearly 160 years. It is the literal birthplace of any and all semblances of higher education in this city and community,” Faison posted, in part, to the social media platform. “Saying that we aren’t ‘present’ or are ‘unknown’ because of a lack of effort or acumen on behalf of the current and/or former leadership is a disingenuous cop-out that patronizingly (reeks) of victim blaming.” Jax Today. After the University of Florida announced on March 1 that it was eliminating all positions related to diversity, equity and inclusion following a new Florida board of Governors regulation that labels expenses related to DEI as prohibited expenditures, students continued reacting to the decision. Lorena Bacallao, a UF student, said "As a school that takes so much pride in so many different things, like research and being the first, or being innovative ... I feel like it would have made more sense for the university to be the one that [said]: 'No, we're not doing this – this is a right,' but they did the opposite." The Gainesville Sun.
Opinions on schools: As. Gov. Ron DeSantis admitted, the tide of censorship in Florida schools and colleges has gone too far, and it's long past time to reverse this destructive trend. Katie Blankenship, Miami Herald. There's a trend in Florida education to rewrite history by putting the lives of oppressed people in a rosy light. Frank Cerabino, Palm Beach Post.
