Education legal issues: Two education-related court cases are among the most-watched Florida legal issues coming before courts in 2022. On Jan. 7, a U.S. district judge will hear arguments in a lawsuit filed against the University of Florida by a group of professors. They contend UF violated their First Amendment rights by blocking them from testifying against the state in a case about voting rights. In February, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will consider whether a transgender student should have been barred from using boys bathrooms at Nease High School in St. Johns County. The student, Drew Adams, won that case at the district level but the school board appealed. News Service of Florida.
COVID’s grim toll: A year that began with optimism because of the arrival of vaccines has turned grim: More than 167,000 children under the age of 18 have lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19 during the pandemic. Twenty-eight children and 109 educators have died in Florida since July, and at least 175,000 Florida preK-12 students have tested positive since Aug. 1. The number of new cases in the state totaled 26,811 on Thursday, the highest since Aug. 26. And the peak of the latest surge isn’t expected until February. But the news is not all bad. Health officials said the omicron variant, which is driving the current increase in numbers, appears to create less severe infections than the delta variant. And some experts now believe the spread of omicron could accelerate the transition of the virus from pandemic to endemic by creating a natural immunity among survivors. The 74. Florida Education Association. Sun Sentinel. WUSF. New York Times. Dr. Jason Salemi. WMFE. The continuation of the pandemic has meant more learning losses, according to data gathered by NWEA, a nonprofit that creates academic assessments for students preK-12. Declines in achievement this fall are sharper than the ones recorded last fall, and the achievement gaps between the highest- and lowest-performing students widened. K-12 Dive. Teachers thought 2021 would be better than the 2020 year of COVID-19. Instead, many say, it was their worst year yet. NPR.
Around the state: Educators in districts around the state are struggling with the increase in threats against schools and the violence in them, National Guard members would be able to take free online courses at out-of-state colleges under a bill proposed this week for the legislative session, the National Science Foundation says Florida ranks 37th in the nation in the percentage of its workforce in science and engineering careers, school board races are starting early in the Tampa Bay area, and a Broward teacher has caught the attention of her 3rd-graders and millions of others with her pop culture-infused lessons on TikTok. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: A 3rd-grade teacher at Nova Eisenhower Elementary in Davie who said she turned to TikTok to try to connect with her students during remote learning has racked up millions of views with her lessons that incorporate pop culture references. “I can make it fun and if I can connect with my students on a level that they connect with, it’s only going to make them not only enjoy school but actually focus, pay attention and do what they have to do to succeed,” said 34-year-old Natalie Stuart. WLRN.
Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco: Fights over face mask mandates, quarantines, vaccines and other hot-button cultural issues, and an emphasis from conservatives to start focusing more closely on local school board races, have prompted candidates to declare early for school board seats in the Tampa Bay area. The races are shaping up as battles over philosophy and control. Tampa Bay Times.
Orange, central Florida: Educators in several central Florida school districts are struggling to contend with increases in threats, fights and other violent acts in schools. The pandemic upended the lives of students, and many have struggled to cope with stress and are acting out. “Kids are just not being as kind to each other,” said Chad Farnsworth, an assistant superintendent in Lake County. “We’re dealing with issues of violence across this nation, and Florida is not immune to it,” added Vicki-Elaine Felder, an Orange County School Board member. Orlando Sentinel. East River High School in Orlando is one of just two schools in the state that offers students classes in fire-training skills. About 60 students are participating in the second year of the program at East River, and about 80 are expected next year. Lead fire instructor David Weiser said those students will be able to step right into a career. “Not every student is ready to go to college at 18,” he said. “This is an opportunity to get into the work force. Many firefighters go back and finish their degree while they’re working and allows them to move up rank.” Spectrum News 13.
Palm Beach: A free program created by the city of Riviera Beach offers a pathway to graduation for students between 16 and 19 years old who have poor grades, not enough credits or have mentally checked out of the school system. “They don’t come in motivated. They come in pretty beaten down, just because of the different systems that have failed them,” said program director Valerie Grimsley. “So they’re looked at as failures. They feel like failures when they get to us.” Each week, 25 students study for their diploma and train for certification in electrical, plumbing, carpentry, HVAC or welding classes. WPTV.
Lee: A former 8th-grade science teacher at Gulf Middle School in Cape Coral has permanently lost his license to teach in the state. Alexander Latorre was fired three days after his October 2019 arrest on a DUI charge and his subsequent admission that he accepted LSD from students and took the drug with them. WINK.
Lake: A Leesburg High School senior who wanted more student input into school decisions figured the best way was to start a student advisory committee. Seventeen-year-old Dencov Bryant is also the student government president. He’s pushed for student input on such issues as the dress code, funding, student fees, parking and more. “I think any time you’re making a decision, whether it be about which carpet to place in the library or what the dress code should say, you need everyone that the decision is impacting to be involved in the decision-making process,” he said. Principal Michael Randolph calls Bryant “one of our absolute best.” WMFE.
Bay: The number of expulsion are soaring in the district, with 26 so far this year compared to two at this time last year. Superintendent Bill Husfelt said students’ home lives aren’t as stable this year and more are homeless. He also blames social media for contributing to the soaring number of threats and pranks that get students in trouble and cost the district. Husfelt believes investigating threats and paying for repairs after pranks have probably cost the district about $100,000 this year. “If a principal has to deal with a stupid thing that someone posted on the Internet, that’s less time that they have to spend with teachers and students in school learning,” he said. WMBB.
Jackson: All district students will soon have the opportunity to sign up for the same specialized driver training that the sheriff’s office gives its recruits. “It encompasses braking techniques, steering techniques, cornering techniques, backing techniques, a number of things drivers should know,” said Sheriff Donnie Edenfield. It’s called the Teen Driver Challenge and is free, courtesy of the Florida Sheriffs Association. Classes are expected to begin in the spring. WJHG.
Colleges and universities: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University students are trying to develop satellites that can go to Mars and cost just 16 percent of what NASA usually pays. “We have an idea of what we’re doing, but we’re building this instrument from scratch,” said Ph.D. candidate Henry Valentine. “There are going to be mistakes in our design, things we have to do with and things we have to figure out later on.” WFTV.
In the Legislature: National Guard members would be able to take online courses at out-of-state colleges for free under a bill proposed this week by state Rep. Dan Daley, D-Coral Springs, for the legislative session that starts Jan. 11. The state’s Education Dollars for Duty program now pays tuition and fees for those members to take in-person and online degree programs provided by colleges, universities and technical schools within the state. Florida Politics.
Substandard rank for Florida: Florida ranks 37th in the nation in the percentage of its workforce in science and engineering careers, according to the latest results from the National Science Foundation. The state’s percentage of 3.84 percent is well below the national average of 5.26 percent. Bridge to Tomorrow.
Around the nation: About 63 percent of school district leaders and teachers believe parents should have a say in choosing curriculum and learning materials for schools. And 54 percent said they support or somewhat support the right of parents to opt-out of classes or classwork they disapprove of. Education Week. When schools switched to remote learning, many districts hired surveillance companies to monitor the online accounts of students to alert them about illegal or threatening behavior. And the monitoring goes on, even though most students are back in school, which some education experts say raises questions about invasion of privacy and civil rights. The 74.
Note to readers: The roundup is off next week and will resume Jan. 3. Happy holidays!
