State seeks ESSA waivers: The Florida Department of Education is seeking waivers to the new federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in its draft for public comment. The state wants a transition period for students who aren’t fluent in English, a waiver on reporting student learning gains, and a waiver on the rule that requires school grade changes if 95 percent of every subgroup doesn’t participate in testing. The public can submit comments here until July 31. Orlando Sentinel. Gradebook.
Religious expression: School districts around the state are starting to prepare for the implementation of the new freedom of religious expression in schools law. Students will now be permitted to include religious beliefs in their schoolwork, and pray at school. Some educators expect little change, since the law already permits those things. Others worry that the law will encourage some teachers to veer into religion-based instruction that ignores commonly accepted facts. Many districts are waiting for guidance on the issue from the Florida Department of Education before writing local policies. Tampa Bay Times.
Charter marketing: An Orange County charter school has budgeted almost $250,000 of taxpayer money over three years to advertise for students. The K-6 Renaissance Charter School will open later this summer on the south side of Orange County, with 661 students expected. To help fill those seats, the school has budgeted $148,725 for marketing in 2017-2018, $55,539 in 2018-2019 and $40,498 in 2019-2020. A spokesperson for Charter Schools USA, the for-profit company that was hired by Renaissance to run its schools, says the ad spending is “smart marketing,” and added, “Parents choose charters for a variety of reasons. We have to market it to let parents know it is there.” Orange County School Board member Linda Kobert says, “Charters have a different set of rules. The school district, the state of Florida, and the taxpayers have no say in how charters spend those taxpayer dollars.” WFTV.
Meal policies reconsidered: Schools across the United States are reconsidering how they deal with students’ meal debts. This month, the U.S. Agriculture Department is requiring districts to inform parents about school meal payments at the start of a school year, and encouraging districts to contact parents directly about delinquent accounts so children don’t go hungry. Several states are going one step further, prohibiting meal shaming or denying food to delinquent students. Associated Press. The Clay County School District is hiking prices for school meals next year. Breakfast at all schools will be $1.50, up 25 cents. Lunch at elementary schools will be $2 for, 25 cents more, and $2.25 at secondary schools, up 15 cents. Florida Times-Union.
School vouchers: Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, says a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the right of religious organizations to participate in publicly funded programs opens the door to make private school vouchers available to any K-12 student in the state. Fine says he may file a bill to eliminate “the income threshold and open it up to everybody.” Florida currently offers tax credit scholarships for lower-income students, and vouchers and education savings accounts for students with special needs. Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog, helps administer the state’s tax credit scholarship and the Gardiner scholarship for students with special needs. redefinED.
Testing concerns: The Florida Department of Education is investigating some irregular state standardized math testing results from Trinity Oaks Elementary School 4th graders. Trinity Oaks was one of eight Pasco County schools that got a grade of I for incomplete, which usually happens when fewer than 95 percent of a school’s students take the test. The district will investigate why the results deviated so much from the norm, and report back to the state. Gradebook.
Fighting embezzlement: In the past two years, Brevard County school officials have discovered that about $278,000 had been embezzled from two schools. Now the district is initiating what it calls “the greatest level of safeguards.” The district’s chief financial officer, Penny Zuercher, is recommending that the school board approve a plan to centralize the accounts for all 82 county schools. If approved, all school bookkeepers would have to submit receipts to the district office, and bills would be paid from there. The district would also have an armored-car service pick up all cash and checks from schools and deposit them at banks. Florida Today.
Testing results: More reports on grades for school districts and schools. ECB Publishing. WJHG. WEAR. Ormond Beach Observer.
Physics enrollment declines: Enrollment is declining in Florida high school physics classes, and the rate at which state students take physics classes is just over half the national rate. Bridge to Tomorrow.
District sued: A former student at Miami Jackson Senior High School is suing the Miami-Dade County School District and TV station WPLG, alleging that they exposed her identity even though she was a victim of sexual assault. The girl, now 19, says she reported the 2013 assault to a school police officer, who then began sexually harassing her. The officer resigned during an internal affairs investigation. A year later, WPLG posted an internal affairs report that she claims had enough information to identify her. She says she was then harassed at school, and she dropped out. Miami New Times.
Strategic plan: The Indian River County School District releases a draft of its strategic plan, and solicits comments from the community. TCPalm.
Programs at risk: Students from as many as 40 schools are expected to lose support for school gardens and field trips after the budget for a joint educational program from the Bok Tower Gardens and the state’s agricultural sciences institute was vetoed by Gov. Rick Scott. Gainesville Sun.
Lacrosse helmets: Florida high school girls lacrosse players will have to wear helmets during in 2018 – the first state to require them. Players were already required to wear protective goggles. Coaches aren’t convinced the helmets are necessary and worry about how to pay for them. Each helmet, which resembles a bike helmet, costs about $140. Sun Sentinel.
State board seat: Michael Olenick, who was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to the Florida Board of Education in 2015, is asking Scott to reappoint him. His term ended in December, but he has stayed on the board until a replacement is named. Twenty-two other people have applied for the seat. Gradebook.
Teacher advances: A Cape Coral teacher advances to the finals in the American Ninja Warrior competition. Morgan Wright, 43, teaches physical education at Diplomat Elementary School. Fort Myers News-Press.
Ex-coach arrested: A former Chiles High School coach and hall monitor is arrested and charged with sexual assault. Derrall Je’Shaun Howard, 22, was fired in December after he was accused of sexual misconduct with a student. Tallahassee Democrat.
Pre-K teacher reprimanded: A pre-K teacher at Mossy Head School in Defuniak Springs is reprimanded after forcing a 5-year-old to clean up a puddle of urine on a bathroom floor. Northwest Florida Daily News.
Opinions on schools: The good progress in school grades made by Duval County schools is a result of hard work and great leadership. Florida Times-Union. Local education leaders now have Tallahassee politicians to thank for the late juggling necessary to compensate for the additional multimillions of public tax dollars that must be turned over to privately managed charter schools. Naples Daily News. Charter schools have a role in K-12 education, but not to the detriment of traditional public schools. Ernest Hooper, Tampa Bay Times. High school graduates should seriously consider taking a year off before starting college, to explore their interests and take time to build the confidence they need to succeed. Charlie Taibi, Orlando Sentinel. Several technology teachers in Duval County attend the JAX Chamber Teacher Fellowship Program “to stay one step ahead of the students.” Candace Moody, Florida Times-Union.
Student enrichment: Author Brenda Zofrea takes her Let’s B Safe program of educating and protecting children from sexual abuse to Sarasota County students. “It’s so important to get away from the ‘stranger danger’ way of teaching kids, because we know that when it comes to sexual abuse, a majority of those cases don’t happen at the hands of strangers, but at the hands of someone the child knows,” says Zofrea. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Debbie Rudtke, a 4th grade math and science teacher at Alachua Elementary School, is one of 200 teachers from 33 countries chosen to attend the Honeywell Educators at Space Academy in Huntsville, Ala. Gainesville Sun.
