Miami-Dade: A Black student who recently graduated from MAST Academy in Key Biscayne has accused two faculty members of discrimination and filed a complaint with Miami-Dade Public Schools. In the complaint, Aniyah Upshaw claimed a teacher and assistant principal allegedly used racially discriminating comments toward her during separate incidents. The school district has confirmed receipt of the complaint and is investigating. South Florida Times.
Broward: A brawl that occurred recently between two Dillard High teachers was caught on camera. Now, the Broward County School district says an investigation has been opened into the fight. Fort Lauderdale police say no charges were filed because no one wanted to prosecute. Miami Herald. The prosecutors who oversaw a grand jury review that led to the removal of Broward School Board members are once again investigating the school. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Meanwhile, officials are tightening the rules on secret meetings. South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Palm Beach: This district's finance officer said that the district will spend $469 million over the next decade on construction projects at charter schools. Meanwhile, officials expect voucher use to double to about 16,398 students next year since income caps were removed by state law. Palm Beach Post.
Hillsborough: The school district here has designated $34 million to fight summer learning loss, also known as summer slide. The district is offering reading programs, summer learning academies, tutors and summer schools, among other options. “We have learning opportunities for our students, from elementary, middle, and high school,” said Hillsborough County School District Superintendent Addison Davis. ABC Action News.
Polk: The Polk County Public Schools' annual LBGTQ Pride Month proclamation, which is issued each June, was put on hold this year as Superintendent Frederick Heid seeks guidance regarding the creation of an "equitable and consistent" process for proclamation. Members of the public request proclamations, which are routinely issued at School Board meetings each month. lkldnow.
Collier: No decision was made late last week during the hearing of Naples grocer Alfie Oakes' lawsuit against the Collier County School Board. Oakes claims the school board and its search firm violated the Sunshine Law in its superintendent search. Naples Daily News.
Flagler: Wadsworth Elementary Principal Paul Peacock was relieved from his post. He had been on paid administrative leave since early May and barred from accessing any Flagler County school campuses. He was under investigation by a law firm the school hired following complaints filed by employees about Peacock. Flagler Live. Meanwhile, the school district is auditing the Flagler Youth Orchestra's account after a decades-long "oversight." A four-year transactional audit of the account is already in motion and expected to be done between the end of June and the start of July, officials said. The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Black history: A two-day summer seminar aimed at helping teachers infuse Black history material into everyday classes was postponed. The move has upset long-standing members of the state's African American History task force. The decision to postpone the annual summer institute, which is a virtual teacher training event where more than 300 people registered to attend, came at a task force meeting. Tampa Bay Times. Orlando Sentinel.
Artificial intelligence: As artificial intelligence becomes a high-profile topic in higher education, state universities are holding discussions about how to harness the power of the technology. WUFT.
Principals meeting: A group of principals who have dealt with school shooting tragedies on their campuses met with leaders in Washington, D.C., this week to push for more communication and legislation to protect students and staff members, in addition to addressing mental health issues. The Principal Recovery Network is a group of former and current school leaders who have experienced gun violence at their schools. WPTV.
Summer hunger: Summer is the hungriest time of the year for central Florida kids. Officials from Second Harvest Food Bank said one if five central Florida kids is at risk of going hungry. WMFE.
Bus driver shortage: There are more than 200 open bus driver positions that need to be filled across Central Florida before the school year begins. Brevard County, for example, needs 30 bus drivers. Orange needs 100, Volusia is hiring for 35 and Seminole is hiring 40 drivers. “We've got upwards of 300 buses on the road," said Kevin Christian of Marion County Schools. "So that's 300 drivers every day. And any given day, probably 10% are out for sickness or for other reasons. So that's 30 drivers right there that we need on a moment's notice.” Christian said drivers start at $18.65 per hour, with six hours guaranteed daily. WMFE.
Social media label: U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy voiced support for adding a warning on social media platforms regarding the danger they pose to children, similar to warnings on cigarette labels. The 74th.
University and college news: A lab at USF will be the first in the state to create a human trafficking database. The hope from researchers is to understand trafficking trends. A bill recently signed into law aims to create the lab in downtown St. Petersburg. The lab, called the USF Trafficking in Persons (TiP) Risk to Resilience Lab, will collect and analyze data statewide. Tampa Bay Times. Meanwhile, USF announced on Friday it would name its Center for Entrepreneurship after alumnus James "Jay" Nault, who donated $10 million to the school. Nault donated to “assist with the goal of creating a living learning community and support potential new degree options for executives,” a news release said. Tampa Bay Times. Jacksonville University's law school is entering its second year with the creation of a multimillion-dollar endowment from a Jacksonville investment firm's founder. Water Street Capital principal Gilchrist Berg endowed the Randall C. Berg Jr. College of Law Dean’s post in honor of his late brother, an attorney. The Florida Times-Union.
Around the state: A teacher in Hillsborough who fought for her life after a medical diagnosis won an Educator of the Year award, the Florida Department of Education told school districts to produce detailed information about the programs and materials they use to address subjects that have been hotly debated, students decorated crosswalks at a school in Lee to make them safer and brighter, and leaders at New College of Florida are wondering where funds will come from for the interim president's salary. Here are details about those stories and other developments from the state's districts, private schools, colleges and universities:
Broward: Amanda Hoy is a senior at Cooper City High School and is the first student in her school's National Honor Society with a cognitive disability. “Anyone can look up to someone like Amanda, and you can look up to anyone, it’s really amazing to see the change that one person can bring,” said Kayla Spennato, one of Amanda’s cheerleading teammates. NBC Miami.
Hillsborough: Superintendent Addison Davis on Friday put the finishing touches on a fresh proposal to change attendance boundaries before a key school board vote on Tuesday. Under the new plan, 282 students would be sent from Bloomingdale High to Brandon High, and it would cut in half the number moving from Farnell Middle in Westchase to Smith Middle in Citrus Park. Unlike the Feb. 13 workshop, Tuesday's meeting is a business meeting where members of the public can speak. Tampa Bay Times.
Sarasota: The four Republicans representing Sarasota County in the Florida House voted for a state budget that cuts $12 million from Sarasota schools because the district approved a mask mandate. The Sarasota County School Board repealed the mask mandate in October as COVID-19 cases declined. Longboat Key News.
Marion: Students here wrote about Valentine's Day, and talked about who their special valentines were. Ocala Star-Banner.
Leon: A Knight Creative Communities Institute project to make school crosswalks brighter and safer moved to north Tallahassee's DeSoto Trail Elementary School on Saturday. The colors and patterns are designed to grab a driver's attention and slow down traffic. A recently study by Florida State University showed that brightly colored crosswalks promote traffic safety in school zones. "School safety is our number 1 priority. We want our students to be safe coming and going to school, so this project enhances that," said Principal Michele Keltner. WFSU. Meanwhile, the Tallahassee Collegiate Academy will open in August. The new charter high school is geared toward students who want to pursue degrees in STEM-related fields — science, technology, engineering and math. The school is housed on the campus of Tallahassee Community College, which received a grant from the Florida Department of Education to be the first college charter school authorizer. WFSU.
Alachua: The Education Foundation in this county held their 12th annual education gala. The foundation put up art for auction from students in Bucholz, Gainesville, Loften and Eastside high schools. All proceeds raised at the event go toward funding the Alachua County Public Schools arts department. WCJB.
Escambia: The Pensacola Omega Lamplighters, a youth civic organization, are preparing to host a fundraiser at Pensacola High. The goal of their March 11 event is to empower youth with the knowledge they will need to develop social and leadership skills to become responsible, productive citizens. WEAR.
Teacher beats the odds: A teacher at Cambridge Christian School was recently named Educator of the Year by the National Society of High School Scholars. Ms. Phinney was also bedridden and fighting for her life after being diagnosed with endometriosis, which robbed her of the ability to walk and confined her to a bed for almost a year. "It's one thing to be recognized by colleagues or your academics, but by far, to me, if the students are believing this, that means the most," said Ms. Phinney. ABC Action News.
Black History Month: Two Southwest Florida students were winners in a statewide essay competition that was part of Black History Month student contests made possible through a collaboration between the Florida Department of Education, Volunteer Florida, the Florida Lottery and the Florida Prepaid College Foundation. Students in fourth through twelfth grade were asked to submit an essay based on this year's theme. Winners receive a two-year Florida College Plan scholarship and a $100 gift card for school supplies. WGCU.
School board members targeted: Gov. Ron DeSantis is taking aim at three Treasure Coast school board members, saying they should be ousted next year for not shielding students from particular ideologies and for failing to protect the rights of parents. Indian River county's Peggy Jones and Brian Barefoot, and St. Lucie county's Jack Kelly made a list of 14 school board members statewide that the governor wants to unseat in 2024. TC Palm.
State request: The Florida Department of Education told school districts to produce detailed information about the programs and materials they use to address subjects that have been hotly debated. The department asked superintendents to fill out a 34-question survey identifying titles of books and programs they have relating to subjects such as sex education, diversity, equity and inclusion, among other topics. The ask included specifics for students courses and employee training. Miami Herald. Bradenton Herald.
University and college news: When New College of Florida's board of trustees approved a contract for Richard Corcoran to serve as interim president, some said his salary seemed high. Now, some leaders at the school in Sarasota are questioning where the funds will come from. Under state law, only $200,000 in taxpayer money can be used to pay a university official's salary, so private donations must cover the rest. Tampa Bay Times. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Rollins College faculty and students officially opened the Winter Park campus' latest addition: A new $8 million building devoted to theater and dance. “We now have the facility that matches our reputation and academic quality,” said Rollins president Grant H. Cornwell. Orlando Sentinel. About 150 students gathered in Ace Plaza on the New College of Florida campus as part of a statewide walkout to protest the state's higher education policies. The college, whose student enrollment is about 700, has been the focus of Gov. Ron DeSantis' efforts to create a more conservative education model at universities in Florida. New College students, alumni and supporters have voiced concerns since the start of what they call an overreach and takeover of their educational freedoms. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Florida A&M's Marching 100 is projected to cost the university about $450,000 in travel funds for the highly acclaimed band during the 2023-34 school year. The cost, which is part of the university's operating budget, was presented last week. Tallahassee Democrat.
Opinions on schools: Substitute teachers deserve more respect. Alanah Nichole Davis, Ed Week.
