Florida schools roundup: Testing exemptions, changes, security and more

Testing exemption request: Broward County School Superintendent Robert Runcie is asking Gov. Rick Scott to grant an exemption from state testing to all Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students. “Taking these tests during this time of mourning and recovery is not reasonable, nor is adding the burden of taking these tests — in addition to future course work — appropriate,” wrote Runcie. Scott has said he doesn’t have the authority to grant such an exemption; that it would have to come from the Legislature. But the next legislative session doesn’t start until March 2019, when the next round of testing will be beginning. The education bill Scott signed this year exempted Stoneman Douglas students, including graduating seniors, from taking standardized tests this spring. Miami Herald.

Testing changes opposed: The Duval County School Board approves a resolution urging the Florida Board of Education to hold off approving the state’s plan that would allow students to take alternative tests to the algebra I and 10th grade language arts exams required for graduation. Duval board members say eliminating the Postsecondary Education Readiness Test as an option will cost students and schools money to take the approved alternatives, the SAT or ACT, and will create different standards for graduation and state college academic placement. Gradebook.

School security: Clay County School Board members approve a school security plan that retains school resource officers in every high school, places deputies in every middle school and hires safety “assistants” to be stationed in every elementary school. The cost will be about $1.2 million. WJXT. The Putnam County School Board rejects a task force’s recommendation to arm school employees as part of the state’s guardian program. Superintendent Rick Surrency warns the board that pursuing other options could cuts in teaching positions and other jobs. WJXT. Largo city leaders say they won’t contribute to paying for putting officers in Pinellas County schools. WFTS. A debate about paying for school security springs up in Marion County. School officials say charter schools get their own funding under the state’s Safe Schools program and are responsible for making sure they have armed guards. Law enforcement officials think the district is responsible for covering all schools. Ocala Star-Banner. An associate superintendent for the Orange County School District and a mother of five talk about practical ideas for keeping students and teachers safe for the 3 to 7 minutes it takes for officers to arrive in an emergency. Orlando Sentinel. The push to arm teachers in schools around the United States is stalling out. Washington Post.

Teacher evaluations: Classroom observations will now make up just a third of a teacher’s evaluation in Palm Beach County instead of half, according to the teachers union. And the number of components in the evaluation will drop from about 60 to 22. Teachers had complained that the observations by administrators were often arbitrary and inconsistent. The evaluations are critical to teachers because they help determine who gets bonuses from the state. Sun-Sentinel.

Bright Futures expansion: The expansion of Bright Futures scholarships, approved by the Legislature this year, begins this summer. Students who qualify for the highest achievement level now receive 100 percent of tuition and fees year-round. Current college students and qualified 2018 high school graduates may use their scholarships this summer. News Service of Florida.

Raising awareness: Nadia Zananiri, an AP history teacher at Miami Beach High and a frequent critic of state education policies, talks about what teachers should do to help others understand their concerns. Gradebook.

Staying the course: Two teaching students were working at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when shots rang out on Feb. 14, and both say the tragedy convinced them that they had chosen the right profession. Anthony Melei and Lauren Rower graduated from Florida Atlantic University Thursday. Melei wants to teach government this fall at Stoneman Douglas, while Rower is trying to decide between teaching English at the high school or a middle school. Sun-Sentinel.

Charter applications: The Sarasota County School Board will vote May 15 on applications from two charter schools. Dreamers Academy is a locally based K-5 school educating students using a dual-language immersion program in English and Spanish. Pinecrest Academy Gulf Coast is run by a Miami company, and would educate about 800 K-8 students. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

New school planned: Manatee County officials are planning to build an elementary school in the Parrish area. The tentatively named North County Elementary School would open in August 2019 and have seats for up to 816 students. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Schools without physics: Thirty-two Florida high schools with more than 1,000 students did not offer physics classes this year, according to Florida Department of Education data. That’s up from 25 in the fall of 2015. Bridge to Tomorrow.

Desegregation plans: The number of U.S. school districts under federal oversight for school desegregation plans nearly doubled between the 2013-2014 and 2015-2016 school years, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Federal officials say they can’t explain the reasons for the fluctuation. Education Week.

Group slams teacher: A religious freedom watchdog group, Liberty Counsel, is criticizing a teacher at Tavares Middle School in Lake County for promoting the observation of a day of silence to support LGBTQ people. Life Site.

Locking down for bears: A Volusia County middle school is put on lockdown for about two hours Thursday as a bear and her three cubs forage for food on campus. The bears strolled near portable classrooms at River Springs Middle School in Orange City at around 8 a.m. and didn’t move on until after 10. Miami Herald. Orlando Sentinel.

Teacher resigns during query: A Citrus County kindergarten teacher resigns while under district investigation for allegedly injuring a student. Video footage shows Kelly Hutton, a Crystal River Primary School kindergarten teacher, pulling and dragging a student by the wrist. Citrus County Chronicle.

Students arrested: A 17-year-old Seabreeze High School student is arrested for bring a knife and heroin to campus, according to police. Daytona Beach News-Journal. An 18-year-old former Escambia County student is arrested and accused of going onto the campus of Northview High School in Century and threatening to kill a student. WEAR. WKRG.

Crossing guard attacked: A man is arrested for punching an 80-year-old school crossing guard as he was helping children across a street near Longwood in Seminole County. Deputies say William Anthony Vindigni, 36, knocked William Reynolds to the ground around 8 a.m. Thursday. Orlando Sentinel. Tampa Bay Times.

Gun arrest at school: A man is arrested at a Pinellas County school for having a firearm while waiting in a school pickup line. Deputies say Timothy Dunn, 47, decided to clean his gun while he was waiting to pick up his child at Madeira Beach Fundamental School. WFLA.

Opinions on schools: Is the nation’s high school graduation rate really going up or are we seeing the effects of Campbell’s Law, which states: “The more any quantitative social indicator is used for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures and the more apt it will be to distort and corrupt the social processes it is intended to monitor.” Mark Dynarski, Brookings Institution. When Hillsborough Superintendent Jeff Eakins meets with officials from the company that supplies the district’s substitute teachers, he should demand more openness — and commit to it himself, starting with a return to forms that allow parents to know what’s happening with substitutes who are teaching their kids. Tampa Bay Times. With the harm of punitive discipline policies and school police well documented, it is clear that Broward County cannot trade the illusion of safety for a successful program that aims to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. Marsha A. Ellison and Judith Browne Dianis, Sun-Sentinel. Fear-mongering is the wrong response to school shootings. Jupiter Jones, Gainesville Sun. Even as we rush to secure schools, we are doing nothing about the causes behind mass shootings. Pierre Tristam, Flagler Live.

Student enrichment: The University of South Florida College of Education is receiving a $1 million grant from Wipro Limited, an information technology company in India. The school will use the money for a new training program for select science teachers in the Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco county school districts. Tampa Bay Business Journal.


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BY NextSteps staff