Students out of schools: About 45,000 Florida students are missing school because of Hurricane Michael. Schools in five counties — Bay, Calhoun, Gadsden, Jackson and Liberty — remain closed until further notice. Four other districts have announced reopening plans. Holmes County teachers and staff return to work today, with students to follow Monday. Teachers and other staff return to Franklin County schools Monday and students Tuesday, Washington County has set a tentative return date of Tuesday for teachers and Wednesday for students, and Gulf County has tentatively set Nov. 5 as the day schools reopen. State officials say districts may need to hold classes during holidays or summer, or extend the length of school days to make sure students meet the state-required 180 days of classes. Pensacola News Journal. Panama City News Journal. WKMG. WJHG. Orlando Sentinel. Florida Department of Education. Apalachicola Times. Northwest Florida Daily News. Washington County News. WJHG. Foster Folly News. Photos and a video of damaged Bay County schools. Panama City News Herald. WKMG. Thirty-five counties are being allowed to use student counts taken before Hurricane Michael made landfall Oct. 10 in Bay County for enrollment figures. Florida Department of Education.
Frustrations of teachers: A day spent following around 15 American teachers, including middle science teacher Lori McLain of the Babcock Neighborhood School in Charlotte County, reveals the common frustrations they have with the job: the pressures for achievement, inadequate resources, low pay and, most of all, the lack of respect. It’s taking a toll on them and on the future. For the first time in 50 years, a majority of Americans polled say they don’t want their children to become teachers. USA Today.
Medical marijuana: Flagler County School Board members approve a policy that allows students to receive medical marijuana in county schools. Only a parent, guardian or caregiver is permitted to administer the medication, which must be in a nonsmokeable form and removed from the campus after it’s received. The language also states that if the U.S. government determines the policy is a violation of federal law, jeopardizing the district’s federal funding, it can be voided. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Opioid overdose drug: Sarasota County School Board members approve the purchase of a nasal mist for the district’s schools to treat victims of opioid overdoses. Paul Grohowski, chief of the district’s police force, says the Narcan supply should arrive within a couple of weeks, and officers will be trained on its use. WWSB. WTSP.
Anti-e-cigarette campaign: The Miami-Dade County School District is initiating a districtwide campaign against the use of e-cigarettes by students. City and school officials say they are especially targeting campaign vaping, which is growing in popularity among teenagers. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho blames tobacco companies. “A lot of money is being spent on marketing, on advertising, these e-cigs, in very appealing ways to kids,” he says. “You know, lacing them with pleasant odors and candy.” WSVN.
What prompted water filters: An Alachua County PTA president’s concern about lead in the water supply in schools apparently led to the district’s decision to install 1,300 water filters in its 36 public schools. After she heard about water testing in Hillsborough and Leon counties, Kelly Anderson tried unsuccessfully to get the district’s facilities department interested in the issue, so she decided to alert the school’s parents and staff by email. That’s when the district contacted her to say filters would be installed at Foster Elementary as a preventative measure, a decision that would later be expanded to all schools. WUFT.
School security: The Charlotte County School Board is considering two policies to improve security in schools. One outlines the ways potentially dangerous behavior has to be reported, and the other details the responsibilities of safe school officers. Charlotte Sun. A Boy Scouts troop grills Sarasota School Superintendent Todd Bowden and district police chief Paul Grohowski about their plans to keep students safe in their schools. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Contract negotiations: The Pasco County School District and its employees union are resuming contract negotiations, with pay as the central issue. The union’s proposal will exceed the 1 percent raise the district says it can afford. What won’t be considered is an idea to swap higher teacher salaries for a longer elementary school day. Gradebook.
Open enrollment: Nearly 5,400 Florida students changed schools last year under the state’s new open enrollment law. “As more parents learn about this option, it will mean more students will have the opportunity to receive a quality education in the school that best fits their needs,” says Adam Peshek, managing director of opportunity policy at the Foundation for Excellence in Education. Some school officials say that biggest barriers to greater use are the lack of transportation provided and capacity at popular schools. redefinED.
Amendment 8 ruling: The Florida Supreme Court ruling that upheld a lower court decision to remove Amendment 8 from the Nov. 6 ballot has exposed the division among justices on the role of the court. The amendment combined three education-related proposals: changes in who could authorize charter and public schools, term limits for school board members and a requirement for civics instruction. The court’s majority ruled that the ballot summary failed to explain the true effect of the amendment. The minority argued that the amendment “correctly identifies the chief purpose of the proposed amendment,” and contends the majority improperly went into the text of the proposal. When it reviews proposed constitutional amendments, the court is supposed to consider only the wording of the ballot title and summary. News Service of Florida.
School board sued: The Orange County School Board is being sued by the parents of a 15-year-old student who was beaten in 2016 and died two days later. Two teens were convicted of manslaughter. Roger Trindade was beaten on a Saturday night, and not on a school property, but the board was named because the district “created a zone of danger which encompassed Central Park by allowing gangs involving many of the defendants to exist, operate and proliferate in its schools,” according to the suit. Orlando Sentinel.
School official’s lawsuit: A Monroe County jury finds that the Monroe County School Board violated its contract by forcing former finance director Kathy Reitzel to retire in 2009, and owes her $60,000. But the jury rejected her argument that she was a whistleblower, and denied her request for damages. Reitzel was ordered to resign or be fired in 2009 by an interim superintendent because he thought she was too slow to detect the embezzlement of about $413,000 by the then-superintendent’s wife. Keynoter.
School board elections: Previewing the races for the District 1 and 5 seats on the Volusia County School Board. Daytona Beach News-Journal. Previewing the race for the District 3 seat on the Alachua County School Board. WUFT. Hundreds of Marion County residents attend a farewell gathering for retiring school board member Bobby James. James, 71, was the first African-American to sit on the board when he was elected 11 years ago. Ocala Star-Banner.
District’s bond rating: The Pasco County School District receives high grades from two credit ratings companies as it prepares to sell $67.5 million in certificates to raise money to build two schools. Gradebook.
Naming rights: The Palm Beach County School Board approves an updated policy that details how names can be put on anything from a conference room to an entire school, temporarily or forever. The policy allows naming rights for those who make “a significant financial or non-financial contribution.” Palm Beach Post.
School moves: The Flagler Beach Montessori School moves to Bunnell and changes its name to Element Montessori. The school lost its lease in the city-owned building after the city decided to put its Planning and Building Department in the school space. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Sports reclassification: The Florida High School Athletic Association’s athletic directors advisory committee approves a reclassification plan for seven sports that would end mandatory district games and begin ranking-based berths for playoffs. The sports affected would be boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball and volleyball, and would begin in the 2019-20 school year if adopted. Florida Times-Union. Naples Daily News.
School aide arrested: A behavioral intervention associate at a Palm Beach County school for students with severe disabilities is arrested and charged with cruelty toward a child and abuse without great bodily harm. Police says Humberto Navarro, 52, slapped and choked a student at Indian Ridge School in West Palm Beach. Palm Beach Post.
School threats: A 17-year-old has been arrested and accused of threatening a mass shooting at Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg. The boy is charged with making written threats to conduct a mass shooting after his Facebook posting saying he would “shoot up” a high school if someone liked his post. Tampa Bay Times. WFLA. An 18-year-old man is arrested and accused of leaving a threatening phone message at Port St. Lucie High School. Matthew Tyson is charged with threatening to kill, do bodily injury or conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device in connection with the incident. TCPalm.
Opinions on schools: Will the Hillsborough schools tax initiative get overlooked by voters on a very long ballot? Joe Henderson, Tampa Bay Times.
Student enrichment: Environmental science students at Ridgeview High School in Orange Park are studying ways to lower the impact of pollution with the help of a grant from the St. Johns River Management District. Clay Today. Students at the Leewood K-8 Center in Kendall are learning how to plant, harvest, and cook what they have grown as part of a school garden project with a Miami restaurant. Miami Herald. Some seniors at Gainesville High School are earning college credit in English by taking an Advanced International Certificate of Education General Paper course. Gainesville Sun. Andrew Raymundo, a student at Celebration K-8 student in Osceola County, is chosen as one of 44 U.S. “kid reporters” for the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps. The 12-year-old was the only Florida student selected. Osceola News-Gazette.
