Textbook bills: Bills filed in the Legislature would change the way school districts select classroom material. Elected officials such as school board members would have greater involvement than appointed officials such as district administrators, at least one-third of the people on a textbook committee would have to be parents, and a requirement that at least 50 percent of a district’s money for materials be used for electronic or digital content would end. Naples Daily News.
Teacher bonuses: A review of records shows that most of the public school teachers who qualify for bonuses under the state’s Best and Brightest scholarship program are in their 20s and 30s. The largest Florida teachers union has filed a complaint that the program discriminates against older and minority teachers. Palm Beach Post.
High school rankings: Eleven Florida schools are included in a list of the top 100 high schools in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report. International Studies Charter High School in Miami is the highest-rated state school, coming in 13th.
School breakfast: Public schools in Broward and Palm Beach counties now offer free breakfast to all students. The program is federally funded and the food is required to meet nutritional standards. Sun-Sentinel.
Court disagrees with district: An administrative law judge rules that the Broward School District wrongly suspended a teacher after a third-grader slipped out of school to go to lunch. The decision is nonbinding, and the school board will decide whether to accept the recommendation. Sun-Sentinel.
Teachers and second jobs: For many teachers, holding a second job is necessary to make ends meet. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Charter schools investigation: The recent story about Florida spending millions on charter schools that later closed is the result of an unusual collaboration among the Associated Press, the Miami Herald, and other newspapers around the state. Columbia Journalism Review.
Ex-teacher accused: A former Eatonville teacher is accused of sexually abusing a girl under 10 years old in the 1990s. Orlando Sentinel.
Opinions on schools: Allowing students the option of taking computer coding instead of a foreign language will help them understand the language of innovation, argues the sponsor of the bill, State Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Parkland. Palm Beach Post. Giving developmentally disabled students a path to economic independence is the goal of a bill to expand preK-12 education options, argues its sponsor, State Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando. Tallahassee Democrat. The absence of physics classes at Jones High School is a disgrace, and must change. Orlando Sentinel.
Student enrichment: Members of the West Boca Raton High Vanguard marching band will perform in London’s New Year’s Day parade. Sun-Sentinel. Brevard’s public schools and the Kennedy Space Center team up to offer a space school for hands-on learning. Florida Today. Science and art institutions in South Florida offer outreach programs to get students interested in science. Sun-Sentinel. Students in a philanthropy class at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy pick three organizations to receive almost $3,500 in grant money raised through a sellathon and donations. Florida Today.
