Florida roundup: charter schools, student data, teachers and guns & 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.

florida roundup logoData. 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.

School security. Polk Sheriff Grady Judd comes down against arming teachers, reports the Lakeland Ledger. A teacher assistant in Haines City resigns after a gun is found in his fanny pack, the Ledger also reports.

School spending. Duval Superintendent Nikolai Vitti lays out a plan to spend less on administration and more in the classroom. Florida Times Union.

K-8. The Orange County School Board expresses support for opening up to five more K-8 schools in the next few years. Orlando Sentinel.

Truancy. A Palm Coast dad won’t spend time in jail as long as his son, who was being home-schooled but not according to protocol, finishes out the rest of the school year at an elementary school. Daytona Beach News Journal.

Disabled students. The family of a special needs student who died on a Hillsborough school bus files another federal lawsuit against the district. Tampa Bay Times.


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BY Ron Matus

Ron Matus is director for policy and public affairs at Step Up for Students and a former editor of redefinED. He joined Step Up in February 2012 after 20 years in journalism, including eight years as an education reporter with the Tampa Bay Times (formerly the St. Petersburg Times). Ron can be reached at rmatus@stepupforstudents.org or (727) 451-9830. Follow him on Twitter @RonMatus1 and on facebook at facebook.com/redefinedonline.