NCAA warns against banning transgender athletes, charter school bills, group pans waiver and more

NCAA’s transgender message: The NCAA has warned that any state passing a bill banning transgender females from competing in girls high school and college sports will risk losing championship events. Florida is one of more than 20 states considering such a bill and today, the House is expected to vote on H.B. 1475, which would require such a ban. The Senate’s version of the bill would allow transgender females to compete if they have testosterone levels below the International Olympic Committee standard, which is closer to the NCAA’s own policy. But hours after the NCAA’s announcement, Senate officials said Wednesday’s scheduled hearing for the bill was postponed because of a “busy rules agenda.” The NCAA statement, which was released Monday, said, “When determining where championships are held, NCAA policy directs that only locations where hosts can commit to providing an environment that is safe, healthy and free of discrimination should be selected. We will continue to closely monitor these situations to determine whether NCAA championships can be conducted in ways that are welcoming and respectful of all participants.” State Rep. Chris Latvala, R-Clearwater, who chairs the House Education Committee, replied on Twitter, “The NCAA needs to treat their own athletes with dignity and respect.” Tampa Bay Times. Politico Florida. Florida Politics. WTVT.

Also in the Legislature: Education bills that are not getting much attention as they move through the Legislature would broaden the number of entities that could authorize charter school openings. H.B. 1031 would establish a Charter School Review Commission that could approve charter school applications. Current law puts that power in the hands of local school boards. District could challenge commission decisions to the Florida Board of Education. S.B. 1028 and H.B. 51 would give colleges and universities the solicit and sponsor charter schools. Politico Florida.

YouTube and DeSantis, Part II: Monday, just a few days after YouTube removed Gov. Ron DeSantis’ March 18 coronavirus panel discussion because it contained “COVID-19 medical misinformation,” DeSantis held another roundtable with the same guests and called Google, which owns YouTube, “cheerleaders for censorship.” He said the removal of the video, which he called a “freer exchange of ideas,” was “Orwellian … big tech, corporate media collusion,” adding, “We are not going to be silenced.” DeSantis’ guests had argued against children wearing face masks in schools, saying it was not needed and was “developmentally inappropriate.” Associated Press. News Service of Florida. USA Today Florida Network. Orlando Sentinel. Politico Florida. Capitol News Service. Florida Phoenix. Florida Politics.

Accountability waivers criticized: An education foundation founded by former Gov. Jeb Bush is criticizing part of the state’s decision to waive consequences from standardized testing results for students and schools. Foundation for Florida’s Future executive director Patricia Levesque said waiving the requirements that seniors pass algebra 1 and 10th-grade language arts exams in order to graduate, and that 3rd-graders pass reading tests to earn promotions, “waters down the hard work” of students and teachers. “State policy is clear and consistent on provisions that ensure students are ready to move to 4th grade and that guarantee Florida’s high school diploma has meaning and value,” she said. She did agree with the state’s decision to allow schools to opt-in to receiving school grades, which is calculated from student test scores. News Service of Florida.

Around the state: Broward County’s school superintendent announces that the district intends to open up schools fulltime in the fall, parents are starting to organize against the Hillsborough district’s planned cuts in staff and school programs, children between the ages of 5 and 14 now have the highest coronavirus positivity rate in Orange County, the Marion school board is considering proposals to create a single home for two vocational education schools and use the property vacated by one for administrative offices, a Hernando high school student is killed in a freak accident during last weekend’s storms, and Leon school officials are expecting a surge in kindergarten enrollment for the fall. Here are details about those stories and other developments from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:

Broward: Superintendent Robert Runcie announced Monday that “it’s the district’s intention, as a school system, to open up, full time, in-person this coming fall.” Right now only about 45 percent of the district’s students are in classrooms. Runcie also said that some COVID protocols will remain in place. “Similar protocols, there’s obviously going to be some adjustments, with physical distancing for example, that would be consistent with what the CDC’s recently said in terms of relaxing those,” Runcie said. “The other component is that we’ve now been able to offer all of our teachers and staff the opportunity to be vaccinated, so that presents another level of protection.” WTVJ.

Hillsborough: Parents are starting to organize against the announced cuts in staffing and programs in district schools. The district released details about the cuts, which are not evenly felt across the district and, in some cases, are being reversed after complaints. About 1,000 jobs and some popular programs are being eliminated with the district facing a budget deficit of $100 million-plus. Administrators said the cuts are necessary to avoid taking out loans to pay the bills or having the state seize control of the district. School board members meet twice today, in a workshop at 9:30 to discuss charter schools, and at 4 p.m. to discuss other business. The public can comment at the later meeting, and questions about the districtwide cuts are expected. Tampa Bay Times.

Orange: County health officials say children between the ages of 5 and 14 are now the age group with the highest positive coronavirus test rate, 9.6 percent. The general county rate is 7 percent. “One potential factor is that other populations are getting vaccinated and children are not,” said Alvina Chu, an epidemiologist with the Florida Department of Health in Orange County. Another is that relatively few tests are given to children in that age bracket. “We are optimistic that as the vaccine can become available to children, that we will see a decrease in cases and a decrease in positivity in this age group,” Chu said. School district spokesman Scott Howat said the district’s reported cases have been steady at 30 to 40 a day. WOFL.

Pasco: An AMBER alert has been issued for an 11-year-old student who went missing around 11 a.m. Monday from River Ridge Middle School in New Port Richey. Sheriff’s deputies said they have reason to believe that Montana Breseman is traveling with a man, possibly to Georgia. “It seems like her entire life has been one adverse childhood experience to another, which has now culminated to the fact that she has gone missing and nobody knows where she is,” said Sheriff Chris Nocco. “And we fear that she could be in a very cold, dark place and be in that terrible realm of possibly being trafficked.” Tampa Bay TimesMiami Herald. WFLA. WTSP. WTVT. WFTS.

Volusia: High school seniors can now get up to six tickets for guests to their graduations, district officials announced Monday. District officials requested that the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, where graduations will be held, increase capacity to allow for more guests. The limit had been two. WKMG. WFTV.

Sarasota: School board members will vote today on a recommendation to fire a Sarasota High School attendance clerk who has been accused of mocking students and making other “rude, embarrassing and inappropriate comments.” In 2018, then superintendent Todd Bowden recommended that Joy Deal be fired after being given reprimands, verbal warnings and a suspension. She has appealed and taken leaves of absence, and is currently working in the district’s facilities department. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Laurie Breslin, the principal of Sarasota Middle School, has been named to the principal’s position at Venice High School. She replaces Eric Jackson, who is taking a job in Connecticut. Charlotte Sun.

Marion: The school board is considering several options to buy property for a combined vocational campus housing both Marion Technical Institute and Marion Technical College. One of the proposals targets the 129,000-square-foot former Sears building at Paddock Mall. The current MTC campus would then become the new administrative headquarters, consolidating dozens of offices now strewn around Ocala. Ocala Star-Banner.

Leon: District officials said they expect kindergarten enrollment to surge in the fall as parents get more comfortable with having their children in schools. More than 200 children were held back or home-schooled during the pandemic, and schools expect most of those children to return to classrooms. Enrollment for kindergarten began Monday. Tallahassee Democrat.

Okaloosa: The Destin High charter school is looking for 17 teachers, a guidance counselor and office staff as it gets ready to open in the fall. Principal Christine Cruickshank said the school has about 265 students right now for its 9th, 10th and 11th grades, but that she’s still getting calls from interested parents and opening enrollment could hit 300. Northwest Florida Daily News.

Bay: A live forum will be held tonight to discuss the pros and cons of a proposed property tax hike for schools. The vote is April 20. If it’s approved, the extra money generated by the tax would be used to improve employee salaries and more. Speaking in support of the tax are Superintendent Bill Husfelt and teachers union vice president Alexis Underwood. Dr. Jon Ward and Bay County Republican Party vice chairman Tho Bishop will argue against it. Panama City News Herald.

Hernando: A popular senior at Central High School died Sunday when she stepped on a live power line downed by a storm that had set her car on fire. Troopers said Valentina “Val” Tomashosky, 17, was trying to drive around a large tree that had been knocked into the road but drove over a power line snagged in the tree. The driver’s side of the car caught fire and as she exited the passenger door, she stepped on the line and was electrocuted. Grief counselors and therapy dogs are on campus to console her classmates and teachers. Tampa Bay Times.

Liberty: Videos of a student wearing a Confederate flag outfit and walking the halls of Liberty County High School were widely shared last week. In the video, the student said, “This is my racist outfit.” School officials called the student in and said “the situation has been handled,” but would not say how. Tallahassee Democrat.

Colleges and universities: Construction will begin soon on the first on-campus student dorm at Daytona State College. When the $16.3 million hall is finished, it will house up to 252 students. Daytona Beach News-Journal. The University of North Florida’s Mednexus program in Palm Coast begins in the fall with 50 students, double the initial projections. The initiative will work with the school district, Daytona State College and Advent Health to prepare students from high school and up for medical careers. Flagler Live.

Around the nation: A student wounded a school resource officer before being killed by police Monday inside a bathroom at Austin-East Magnet High School in Knoxville. Officers said they didn’t know why the boy brought a gun to school or opened fire when confronted. Associated Press.

Opinions on schools: The Legislature is considering a Parental Bills of Rights measure that is anti-vaccination, anti-mask, anti-sex education and anti-LGBTQ. The legislation, like so many others in Tallahassee, seeks to fix a problem that does not exist. Sun Sentinel. You don’t see too many people in Mississippi or anywhere else still carrying a banner for the exclusion of athletes of color in high school or college athletics. I wonder how many more years they will disgrace themselves hoisting the banner for the exclusion of transgender athletes. Larry Strauss, Florida Today. The Arizona experience shows that high levels of academic growth for disadvantaged students can be achieved at a statewide scale and without a natural disaster such as Hurricane Katrina. Arizona has the nation’s largest charter school sector and private choice programs, which in combination seems to have unlocked a very active system of open-enrollment transfers between district schools. Matthew Ladner, redefinED. Florida as a state continues to do an abysmal job of transforming its stated love for children into proper funding to help kids who are confronting mental health issues. Roger Brown, Sarasota Herald-Tribune.


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BY NextSteps staff