Florida schools roundup: Lead in schools’ water, Broward issues and more

Lead in schools’ water: The Hillsborough County School District knew for 16 months that there were high levels of lead in the water at many schools before it informed parents. Deputy superintendent for operations Chris Farkas and communications chief Grayson Kamm acknowledge the district should have told parents sooner. The district still hasn’t released the results of most of the tests, and schools start next week with the scope of the problem still unknown. The district has tested about 20 percent of its schools, and lead has been found in the drinking water in every one. Tampa Bay Times. Hillsborough parents can search a database to see if their child’s school has been tested for lead. Tampa Bay Times.

Turmoil in Broward: A group of parents whose children died in the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School blasts the Broward County School Board for its “lack of decisiveness,” and is urging voters to remove all incumbents in the primary elections Aug. 28. Five of the nine board seats are being contested. The group also is critical of Superintendent Robert Runcie’s actions, but stopped short of calling for his removal even as others were making that caseSun-Sentinel. Miami Herald. News Service of Florida. WLRN.

Charter school rulings: The state’s Charter School Appeal Commission unanimously agrees that the Leon County School Board had no evidence to support its denial of a charter school’s application in April. The commission’s recommendation now goes to the Florida Board of Education for a vote, though Leon school officials say they accept the recommendation and will allow the K-8 Tallahassee Classical School’s application to move forward. Tallahassee DemocratredefinED. An administrative law judge backs the Orange County School District’s decision to deny capital funding to a low-performing charter school in Ocoee. Kid’s Community College Charter School Orange County Inc. challenged the state rule prohibiting capital funds to go to charters that receive a grade below C for two consecutive years. News Service of Florida.

Bullying exclusions: For the first time, Florida is offering bullied students a chance to transfer to another public school or take state scholarships and move to private schools. But some private schools that plan to participate in the Hope Scholarship program are opposed to homosexual behavior. Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog, helps administer the Hope Scholarship program. Huffington Post.

School security: The chairman of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission says tough choices – such as tax increases – are needed to keep schools safe from future mass murderers. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri says, “We need to have a conversation about, maybe not what we want, but what we need.” The commission is expected to make its recommendations to improve school security at its September meetings. Politico Florida. TCPalm. As schools begin to open, here’s where central Florida school districts stand in providing security in schools and for students. WFTV. Orlando Sentinel. WKMG. Pinellas County students will see more armed guards, fences and locked doors when they return to school Monday. Tampa Bay Times. Single poiny-of-entry and locks on classroom doors are among the security changes Lee County students will see when they return to their schools today. Fort Myers News-Press. Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast says he isn’t signing a contract with the school district to provide resource officers because a portion of it is illegal. The county commission will meet Tuesday to consider a request from the school district to provide funds for the district to create its own police force. Both the sheriff and school officials say there will be law enforcement in schools when they reopen Monday. Citrus County Chronicle.

Problems at schools: The air-conditioning systems in the gymnasium and auditorium at Plant High School in Tampa aren’t working, and 10 square feet of mold has developed inside the auditorium. School officials knew about the mold in June and cleaned it, but it’s returned. The Hillsborough County School District’s health and safety staff is working to remove the mold, and a temporary air conditioning system has been moved into the gym so students can use it when the school opens today. Tampa Bay Times. Construction is continuing on a building for the expanded Plato Academy Trinity in Pasco County, and parents are worried that the school won’t open as scheduled Monday. County officials say several permits are outstanding an no certificate of occupancy has been issued, and they doubt that can happen in time for the building to open. Gradebook.

Contaminated water use: Brevard County school officials say they will continue to use contaminated water for landscaping and irrigating athletic fields. School officials say the Florida Department of Health assures them this would result in “practically no exposure” to students or staff. Brevard Times.

State to audit district: State auditors will take a close look at the Manatee County School District’s handling of a software upgrade that doubled in cost between the time it was launched and implemented years later. Deputy superintendent for operations Ron Ciranna, who oversaw the project, has been placed on administrative leave while the district investigates. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Teacher evaluations: Pasco County school officials say they will not remove or transfer teachers from turnaround schools based solely on their state value-added measure scores. “The state is inserting itself to force districts to make personnel decisions based on one piece of data,” says Superintendent Kurt Browning. “It’s just not right. We know our people better than the FDOE [does].” The VAM uses a complicated formula that’s based on the performance of all students the teacher has taught in the past three years. State rules say turnaround schools cannot have a percentage of teachers with “needs improvement” or “unsatisfactory” ratings that’s higher than  the district average. Gradebook.

Education suit argument: Attorneys for a group challenging the state’s funding of education are urging the Florida Supreme Court to hold the state accountable for its constitutional responsibility to produce an “efficient” and “high quality” public school system. The state’s argument that those terms are “aspirational” is illogical, says Citizens for Strong Schools. Gradebook.

Superintendent Q&A: On the eve of the start of the new school year, new Brevard County School Superintendent Mark Mullins talks about his priorities, security in schools, teacher pay, mental health resources and more. Florida Today.

School board elections: Candidates for the District 2 seat on the Duval County School Board talk about school security, whether to sell underused district buildings, student behavior and more. Florida Times-Union.

Personnel moves: Interim Manatee County school superintendent Cynthia Saunders says speculation that she might follow former superintendent Diana Greene to Duval County is just that. “Those are just rumors,” Saunders said this week. “I am not leaving.” Greene said this week she wanted to hire a deputy for Duval, and said Saunders would be a perfect fit. As interim superintendent, Saunders signed a contract that specifically prohibits her to apply for the permanent job or accept it if offered. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Dustin Sims, principal of Flagler Palm Coast High School, is leaving to take a job with the state Department of Education. He’ll be executive director for school improvement for the northeast region. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Flagler Live.

New schools: Two new academies open in St. Johns County today. Freedom Crossing Academy in Aberdeen and Palm Valley Academy in Nocatee are both starting as K-6 schools but will expand to K-8 by the 2020-2021 school year. St. Augustine Record.

School gets new chapel: Jesuit High School in Tampa opens a new Chapel of the Holy Cross for daily convocations and the celebration of Mass and sacraments. The 900-seat chapel is part of the Roman Catholic boys school’s $40 million master renovation plan. Tampa Bay Times.

Laptops for students: Over the next five years, every Lake County student in grades 3-12 will receive a new Chromebook for school as the district plans to go all digital. The laptops will give students access to online textbooks, homework and other learning tools, say district officials. Orlando Sentinel.

Drivers, attendants needed: The Polk County School District needs at least 63 more school bus drivers, and more attendants to help on those buses. “There is a shortage nationwide for bus drivers,” says district spokesman Jason Geary. “Polk County Public Schools and other school districts are facing the same challenge of recruiting and retaining drivers.” Lakeland Ledger.

Correction: In a story about Florida’s school guardian program, the Associated Press incorrectly described Jim Norton as superintendent in Bay County. It’s Gulf County. Associated Press.

Opinions on schools: School choice and integration don’t have to be mutually exclusive goals. Scott Kent, redefinED. It’s time for school in Hillsborough County, which means it’s time for finger-pointing about who’s to blame for the air-conditioning problems. Joe Henderson, Tampa Bay Times.

Student enrichment: Aydan Soto, a sophomore-to-be at Osceola High School in Pinellas County, finishes eighth in the Microsoft Office Specialist world championships in Orlando. Tampa Bay Times. Jan Caruthers, a Hillsborough County elementary teacher and reading specialist, has written illustrated vocabulary books for 2nd-graders at Wimauma Elementary School and 2nd- and 3rd-graders at Reddick Elementary and RCMA Academy. Tampa Bay Times. Palm Beach County students offer their opinions on the new food choices they’ll be receiving at school this year. Sun-Sentinel.


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BY NextSteps staff