Cemetery studies: Hillsborough County officials say the Ridgewood Cemetery, discovered last year on the King High School Campus, won’t be forgotten again. History of the cemetery may be taught in district curriculum. Tampa Bay Times
Pay raises: Pinellas County school teachers get a minimum 3.45 percent pay raise plus back pay. Tampa Bay Times.
Charter approved: Bay County School District approved the charter application of AMIKids Maritime Academy. WJHG.
Child molestation: A paraprofessional at Southside Elementary School in Starke is facing charges of lewd and lascivious behavior in connection with the molestation of three girls. The incident did not involve children at the school and is believed to have occurred four years ago. WJXT.
Great schools: GreatSchools.net selected Florida State University School (FSUS) and Leon County Schools’ Lawton Chiles High School, Leon High School and Lincoln High School for the 2020 “College Success Award,” for their efforts at preparing students for college. Tallahassee Democrat.
Teacher training: Pinellas County schools says it hires 600-800 new teachers a year, with about a quarter coming from the University of South Florida. The district criticized the university for deciding to phase out the undergraduate portion of the College of Education. Tampa Bay Times.
Coronavirus infections: Coronavirus infections in Miami-Dade schools now exceed 250 persons, less than a tenth of a percent of the district’s total population. Miami Herald. St. Lucie schools is launching an online dashboard to help track the ways coronavirus is impacting local schools. TC Palm. Somerset College Preparatory Academy will reopen after a one-day closure due to the coronavirus. TC Palm. Eccleston Elementary school will be on lockdown until after Nov. 3, due to four positive coronavirus infections at the school. WKMG.
Holocaust denial: William Laston, the former principal of Spanish River High, says he is not a Holocaust denier in emotional plea on YouTube. His job prospects with the district remain in question until Nov. 2. Sun Sentinel. Palm Beach Post.
Vacation: Broward County students will get five days off for Thanksgiving in 2021. Sun Sentinel.
No-mask moms: A group of moms were removed from a school board meeting in Volusia County for refusing to wear masks. They cannot return to the building for one year. No arrests were made. Daytona Beach News Journal.
More board protests: Parents protested after they were refused entry into a Manatee County School Board meeting after the room reached capacity. Bradenton Herald.
Renovations: Bay County School Board leaders approved fees to renovate Mowat Middle School. WHJG.
Opinion: USF officials stand by the decision to close the undergraduate teacher training program, citing a steep decline in enrollment and a rise in cheaper alternative pathways to teacher certification. Tampa Bay Times. Pam Hightower, a candidate for the Leon County School Board, offers a plan to end the district’s “school-to-prison pipeline.” Tallahassee Democrat. Parents need choice in education now more than ever, says Florida scholarship parent, Shannon Dolly. redefinED.
