Around the state: Six Florida A&M University students file a federal lawsuit accusing the state of “intentional discrimination” against the school, a Leon County charter school that attracted only a third of the number of students it needed is closing just weeks after it opened, a Manatee County teacher is removed from the classroom after berating a student who didn’t stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, a growing number of Florida parents are starting to organize to oppose some aspects of the conservative parental rights movement that is gaining influence in school districts, Palm Beach County School Board members approve a contract agreement that will give teachers raises averaging 3.5 percent, rising health-care costs and employee claims are projected to put the Polk school district’s health-insurance plan $38.1 million in the red by 2024, and a 13-year-old Ocala student died after being hit by a school district vehicle as he tried to get to school Thursday morning. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: The judge in the sentencing trial of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz ruled Thursday that prosecutors will be able to present evidence that Cruz is a sociopath when they begin their rebuttal of the defense’s case next Tuesday. Defense attorneys asked Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer to exclude testimony about Cruz’s obsession with video games, his alleged lies during mental health testing and more. WPLG.
Orange: Samuel Oliver Sr., who helped desegregate the school district and taught at several Orange Count schools for 30 years, died Sept. 9 at a Daytona Beach hospital. He was 82. Oliver was also an artist, and a two-time member of Bethune-Cookman University’s “Total Families” group that honors graduates whose children and siblings also graduated from the school. Daytona Times.
Palm Beach: School board members have approved a contract agreement between the district and teachers that will give them raises averaging 3.5 percent. According to the district’s budget, teachers are currently paid between $48,175 and $97,024, with the average teacher earning $56,095. The raises are retroactive to July 1, and still must be approved by union members. Palm Beach Post. WPBF. The former athletic director at Olympic Heights Community High School in Boca Raton who was accused of stealing at $16,000 in coaching supplements for sports she didn’t coach and was subsequently fired is appealing to get her job back. Cindy Lucia was criminally charged in 2021 but found not guilty by a jury. WPTV.
Duval: A 2nd-grader at Victory Christian Academy in Jacksonville was removed from the school after her parents questioned a homework assignment. The assignment was to provide a picture of the student doing homework in a bathtub. Misty and Christopher Dunham questioned the propriety of it, and the school later administratively withdrew their daughter with no explanation. The Dunham said the school’s action sends the wrong message. “(Our child) did something right by telling mom and dad that she wasn’t comfortable with something, and now she’s no longer in school,” said Christopher Dunham. WJAX.
Polk: Rising health-care costs and employee claims are projected to put the school district’s health-insurance plan $38.1 million in the red by 2024, Linda King, director of risk management and employee benefits, told the school board this week. Teachers and other employees don’t pay for coverage, and the cost of premiums for dependents did not increase this year. School staff are working on options to save money that will be presented to the board at a future meeting. Lakeland Ledger.
Manatee: A Manatee High School teacher has been removed from the classroom after berating a student who did not stand for the Pledge of the Allegiance this week. The incident, which was captured in a TikTok video, showed art teacher Robert Reiber, who is white, telling the student to “go back to — where are you from Mexico or Guatemala, where?” District officials issued a statement that read, “The school district of Manatee County strongly condemns any language or behavior that degrades, humiliates or insults any individuals, most especially the young people, families and community we have the privilege of serving.” The incident is under investigation by the district. WFLA. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. WWSB.
Marion: A 13-year-old 7th-grader at Liberty Middle School in Ocala was killed Thursday morning when he was hit by a school maintenance vehicle while trying to cross a street. Police said Douglas Zazueta was riding to school with his mother on a motorcycle when she stopped in the middle of the road because the boy saw a friend on the other side of the street. He jumped off and was running across the street when he was hit. Police are investigating. WKMG. Ocala Star-Banner. WOFL. WFTV. WESH. WCJB. WGFL.
Leon: The Red Hills Academy charter school that just opened in August is closing Sept. 30. School officials said they needed 90 students to cover costs, but attracted only 30. “We wanted to be that small, nurturing school and loving school, which we were, we were. We just didn’t have the numbers,” said Laura Joanos, academy board chair. School board members initially rejected the academy’s application in the spring of 2021, citing budget and safety concerns. Academy officials appealed to the Florida Charter School Appeal Commission, which recommended that the state Board of Education overrule the Leon board. It did, and the academy opened this fall. Tallahassee Democrat.
Alachua: Forty-five county students have been selected as 2023 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists, district officials have announced. It’s four higher than last year’s total, and a record for the district. Twenty-six are from Buchholz High School, 11 from Eastside High and eight from Gainesville High. Students are selected by the results of the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Finalists will be announced in February. Gainesville Sun. WUFT. Mainstreet Daily News. WGFL.
Flagler: District officials are considering three options to supplement sheriff’s deputies in protecting schools with armed guards: train school staff, create the district’s own security staff, or contract with a security service other than the sheriff’s office. Initial cost estimates range from $150,000 to $600,000 for the first year. The district already pays the sheriff’s department $1 million a year for 12 deputies and nine school crossing guards. Board members will discuss their options at a future meeting. Flagler Live.
Colleges and universities: Six Florida A&M University students have filed a federal lawsuit accusing the state of “intentional discrimination” against the school. The suit contends that the state has maintained “a segregated system of higher education” for decades, and that unequal funding and support for the historically black university violates constitutional equal-protection rights. News Service of Florida. Politico Florida. Associated Press. Forbes. Bloomberg. Florida Politics. The University of North Florida has received a $7 million federal grant to expand its teacher training program. The Capitolist. Eastern Florida State College in Cocoa has received a $6.6 million grant from the state to expand its programs that train students for jobs in the space industry. Florida Today. Ralph Puglisi, a former University of South Florida accounting manager who embezzled nearly $13 million from the school, is asking a federal judge for leniency at his sentencing Monday. He says his actions were driven by mental health and relationship problems. Tampa Bay Times.
Parents organize: A growing number of Florida parents are organizing to oppose some aspects of the conservative parental rights movement that is gaining influence in school districts. They’re opposing book bans, fund-raising for school board candidates, and advocating that students learn history that is inclusive of LGBTQ and non-white Americans. “The very existence of our group goes to show there are plenty of parents who do not feel represented by this ‘parents’ rights’ movement,” said Stephana Ferrell, whose group tracks banned books across the state. USA Today Florida Network.
Young Floridians make finals: Five Florida students are among 30 U.S. finalists in the Broadcom MASTERS national STEM competition for middle school students. They are: Marco Alexander Chua, a 7th-grader at Saint Paul’s Catholic School-Riverside in Jacksonville; Landon William Huber, a 6th-grader at Christ Classical Academy in Tallahassee; Alexander Montgomery, an 8th-grader at Andrew Jackson Middle School in Titusville; Kasey Moore, a 7th-grader at American Heritage School in Delray Beach; and Moitri Santra, an 8th-grader at Jackson Heights Middle School in Oviedo. They will compete in the finals Oct. 28-Nov. 2 in Washington, D.C., for over $100,000 in prizes. Technology for You. Boca Raton Tribune.
Around the nation: Traditional teacher training programs at U.S. universities are cutting staff because of declining enrollment. Nearly every state lost a large proportion of teaching candidates between 2010 and 2018, according to a Center for American Progress report, and the pace accelerated during the pandemic. School officials cite the teaching profession’s stressful working conditions, low wages and the growing political influence on what may be taught as factors. The 74.
Opinions on schools: By freely allowing the opposition to harp on a term — voucher — they aren’t even defining properly, we do real damage to the school choice movement. Garion Frankel, reimaginED.
