More disaster funding: The U.S. Education Department is giving Florida another $95.8 million in disaster assistance, even though the state has yet to spend any of the $84.5 million it received from the federal Immediate Aid to Restart School Operations program to help schools, colleges and universities recover from hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The new funding is through the Temporary Emergency Impact Aid for Displaced Students program, which is intended to help districts that had extra enrollment of students displaced by hurricanes. Politico Florida. Orlando Sentinel.
School security: A security consultant advises the Broward County School Board against using metal detectors in schools, saying they are expensive, hard to operate efficiently, not reliable without accompanied by patdowns, and provide limited benefits and great risks. Michael Dorn, executive director of Safe Havens International, says he recommended to Superintendent Robert Runcie to back off installing them. Sun-Sentinel. Schools open today in Broward County, and half the schools in Fort Lauderdale still don’t have armed guards. Sun-Sentinel. Only 24 school safety specialists were working on the first day of school in Duval County – less than half the number needed to cover each of the district’s elementary schools. Another 27 are expected to be hired by Labor Day, and a third round of hiring won’t put those assistants in schools until after Oct. 1. Florida Times-Union. WJXT.
Amendment 8 questioned: A retired chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court files a challenge with the court charging that six proposed constitutional amendments, including the education-related Amendment 8, are unconstitutionally bundled. Harry Lee Anstead and former Florida elections commissioner Robert Barnas say that bundling prevents voters from a simple yes or no vote. Amendment 8 would put term limits on school board members, require civics education and allow entities other than local school boards to approve charter school applications. Gradebook. Flagler Live. News Service of Florida.
Step Up For Students audit: A miscalculation for establishing estimated monthly income led Step Up For Students to overpay 248 students a total of $419,760 in school choice scholarship awards and underpay 32 students a total of $53,589, according to third annual audit of the nonprofit by the Florida Auditor General’s Office. The 280 students affected between 2015 and 2017 make up 0.1 percent of the 209,500 students who applied for scholarships from the state. Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog, help administer the tax credit, Gardiner, Hope and reading scholarship programs. redefinED. Associated Press. Orlando Sentinel.
District’s equity plan: Valerie Freeman, the Alachua County School District’s first educational equity director, presents a plan to the school board intended to address the achievement gap between white and black students. Freeman proposes specific goals, and a larger one of greatly narrowing or eliminating the gap by 2028, and says it can be done by expanding existing programs and creating new ones such as tutoring, logging monthly data reports, screenings, creating support teams to intervene when a student isn’t on pace to graduate, developing behavior plans and forming better relationships and recruitment programs with local colleges. Gainesville Sun.
Solemn anniversary: Tuesday was the six-month anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Parents of slain students, survivors and others remember the 17 who died that day. Miami Herald.
Support for superintendent: Several business organizations and black political leaders hold a press conference to announce their support for Broward County School Superintendent Robert Runcie. Criticism of Runcie over his handling of the Stoneman Douglas school shooting has built in the past few months, and some parents of students slain in the attack and school board candidates are calling for his dismissal. Sun-Sentinel. WLRN.
Student rejected over hair: A Christian school near Apopka tells a father that his 6-year-old son has to cut his shoulder-length dreadlocks to attend the school. Officials at the private Book’s Christian Academy, near Apopka, say the rule requiring short hair has been in place since the school was founded in 1971. The boy’s father, Clinton Stanley Sr., says, “I respect their rules, but it’s not right. … You are a Christian school. … You deny a kid an education on his hair?” The Stanleys had a tax credit scholarship to attend the school, but decided instead to enroll Clinton Jr. in his local public education school, Lovell Elementary. Orlando Sentinel.
Lead in school water: Hillsborough County school officials will begin disclosing more information on where lead has been found in schools’ water. All locations where lead has been found will be listed, not just the ones that tested the highest for lead contamination. Tampa Bay Times.
Candidate off ballot: A judge orders a Lake County School Board District 1 seat candidate off the ballot for failing to resign from his current office to run for the board. Perry Berkowitz, 75, was supposed to resign from a position on the North Lake County Hospital District board by June 8, but didn’t until July 25. He says he was unaware of the resign-to-run rule. Orlando Sentinel.
Website being replaced: The Brevard County School District is spending more than $1 million to replace its website. Edline has been the primary means of communication among the district, parents and students for about a decade. But complaints about its reliability and ease of use, plus the end of technical support by Edline’s company, prompted the switch to Focus. It will be used to share grades, attendance, homework assignments and report cards. Florida Today.
New school name debate: Discussion about the name for a new high school to be built in the north end of Manatee County is ended when a foul odor from computers forced evacuation of the building where the school board meets. Some Parrish residents don’t like the proposed name, North River High School, saying it ignores the heritage and identity of the school’s hometown. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
School enrollment: Student enrollment in St. Johns County schools is up 41 percent in the past five years, according to district officials. This year’s count is 38,995, up from the 27,578 in 2010. St. Augustine Record.
PTA president-elect: Jen Martinez of Lake Worth has been named president-elect of the Florida PTA. Martinez, 47, is an administrative assistant at Rolling Green Elementary School in Boynton Beach and a mother of four who has been active in PTA for 20 years. She takes over the presidency in 2020, and her goal is to get more parents active in their children’s educations. Sun-Sentinel.
Personnel moves: Maynard Harvey is named principal at SouthTech Success Center, which is part of the SouthTech public charter schools system. Palm Beach Post. Florida Virtual School general counsel Frank Kruppenbacher resigns after 18 years. Florida Politics.
New year, new policies: A new school year brings new policies and other changes for the Escambia and Santa Rosa school districts. Pensacola News Journal. School superintendents in Manatee and Sarasota counties talk about the new school year, security in schools and their plans for extra tax money provided by voters. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Costs questioned: Citrus County School Board members question the costs charged by the sheriff’s office for security at after-school activities such as sporting events and for transporting money from schools to banks. The sheriff is asking for an increase in $33,000 for the transportation, and $25,000 to $30,000 for security. Citrus County Chronicle.
Party food restrictions: Food for classroom parties in Pasco County schools now has to comply with federal “smart snack standards,” which means 200 calories or less, with 35 percent or less of calories from fats. Principals began telling parents about the new policy earlier this month, and the response has not been all positive. “I’ve heard more about that” than about school safety issues, says Calusa Elementary principal Kara Merlin. Gradebook.
Ad agreements approved: The Leon County School Board approves agreements with five businesses to place ads on the new digital scoreboard at Gene Cox Stadium. Each of the businesses will pay $20,000 over the five-year deal. Tallahassee Democrat.
Sign removed from school: A sign warning about “Exposure To Sexism, Raceism, White Privilage, & CHRISTIANITY” was removed from the roof of the Baker School in Okaloosa County before students arrived Monday for the first day of school. School officials are investigating. Northwest Florida Daily News.
Students hurt in bus crash: Seven students suffer minor injuries when their school bus collides with a pickup truck near Apopka. State troopers are investigating. Orlando Sentinel.
Opinions on schools: The most persistent and pernicious myth about school choice is that it drains/diverts/siphons funding from traditional public schools. But the truth is, crippling or killing charter schools and private school scholarships wouldn’t part the financial clouds for traditional public schools. Ron Matus, redefinED. Students deserve more action from lawmakers, not religious inspiration, to make schools safer. Andy Reid, Sun-Sentinel. Martin County taxpayers have sent $227 million to Tallahassee over the past five years, money that was then distributed to other Florida schools even as their own schools crumbled and teachers bailed out due to low pay. Gil Smart, TCPalm. Teachers can earn the trust of parents on the very first day of school with a simple praise phone call about their child. Bill Hoatson, Tallahassee Democrat.
