In the Legislature: As the legislative session closes today, a variety of items are still uncertain as they head to the governor's desk. The state Department of Education could soon be responsible for preparing academic standards about the history of communism to be taught in grades as low as kindergarten under a bill that received final approval in the Florida House. The House voted 106-7 to pass the measure, SB 1264. Under the bill, the curriculum would begin in the 2026-27 school year and would have to be "age appropriate and developmentally appropriate" for all grade levels. The lessons would also be required to cover particular topics. Public-school students currently can get lessons about communism in high-school social studies courses, and in a seventh grade civics and government class. Tampa Bay Times. Orlando Sentinel. State lawmakers walked back a proposal to restrict how families can spend their state-funded education vouchers. Instead of restricting state-funded scholarship spending to core subject areas as originally introduced, the bill that cleared the Legislature on Thursday only requires organizations that administer the vouchers to produce “handbooks” that detail what expenses are allowed and prohibited. Politico. Tampa Bay Times. While some legislative leaders are highlighting record levels of education spending during the legislative session, the state's largest teachers union says that won't remove Florida from low rankings for teacher pay or per-student spending. The budget plan included $1.2 billion toward teacher salaries and a boost in per-student spending. “We are increasing K-12 per student funding to an unprecedented level, including raising the base student allocation, which we know provides important, needed flexibility for our districts,” said Republican Sen. Keith Perry, Chair of the Senate Education Appropriations Committee, in a prepared statement. Florida Politics. K-12 students are a step closer to getting lessons from designated "patriotic" groups. Florida Politics. The Florida Senate gave final approval to a measure designed to keep "identity politics" out of teacher preparation programs that lead to educators getting their professional certificates, preparing the bill to go to Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Senate voted 28-12 to approve HB 1291 a week after the House passed the measure. CBS Miami. WFTV. Politico.
Miami-Dade: A 14-year-old girl had her shoulder dislocated and her thumb broken during an altercation with a Miami-Dade schools police officer at a Miami Gardens school, her family's lawyer announced. Miami Herald.
Palm Beach: An elementary school teacher in Palm Beach will not be disciplined after she sent a letter to School Board officials asking them to "publicly recognize the Palestinian community" in their communications about the Israel-Hamas war and posted a photo that featured the slogan "from the river to the sea" on her personal Facebook page. Palm Beach Post.
Broward: Fifth-grader Jasmine Perez from Bayview Elementary won the Miami Herald Broward County Spelling Bee held in Ft. Lauderdale on Thursday. Miami Herald.
Hillsborough: The school district here is urging commissioners to maintain the district's sales tax funds. The Community Investment Tax or CIT has funded schools since 1996, but county commissioners are debating whether to keep the district in its tax plan. The tax is set to expire in 2026. WUSF.
Sarasota: Tashaun Bryant, a senior at Sarasota Military Academy, is recipient of the 2024 STRIVE Award. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Alachua: The organization attempting to convert three public schools in Alachua into charter schools announced their proposal governance structure. There is a split opinion on whether schools in Newberry should turn into charter schools. The new structure would create governing board seats appointed by the Newberry and Archer city commissions. WCJB.
College and university news: Earlier this month, the University of Florida eliminated 13 full-time employees and 15 administrative positions connected with diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on campus. On Wednesday, the Steamboat Institute Campus Liberty Tour made the first of five national stops at the University of South Florida for a debate on the use of public funds for DEI in higher education. WUSF. The University of Florida is poised to acquire 2,658 acres of land just west of Gainesville after a state appropriations list released this week included funding for the purchase. Main Street Daily News. Florida Politics.
In the Legislature: A pair of bills in the Florida state Legislature could allow Satanic priests to volunteer in Florida schools. Senate Bill 1044 and companion House Bill 931 let public schools allow volunteer chaplains to provide student counseling services. "We are empowering the school districts to make decisions that are in the best interest of their children, in their communities, and setting the requirements that they feel would be necessary to protect their children and make sure that any type of counseling is legitimate counseling," said state Sen. Gayle Harrell. Under the U.S. Constitution, the state can't dictate which religious groups are eligible to volunteer, which would open the door for groups like the Satanic Temple to allow their clergy to provide services to students. Fox 35. Meanwhile, community members are split over a proposed bill that would allow religious chaplains to counsel students in Florida schools. While some see the benefit in offering more services, others are opposed and say religion has no place in public schools. The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Palm Beach: Between the beginning of the 2023-24 school year on Aug. 10 and Feb. 15, four books were challenged in Palm Beach County through complaints to individual schools, district records show. Only one was removed from the shelves temporarily. The last book to be formally challenged in Palm Beach County was the Bible. The objection was denied four times and remains on school library shelves. Palm Beach Post.
Hillsborough: The school board here approved principal appointments at two schools on Tuesday. Tampa Bay Times.
Pinellas: Students in this county could find it easier to opt out of their final exams next year under a plan that would allow students to exempt semester exams for as many as three courses in which they are averaging a "C" grade or better over both quarters and have not missed more than five days in those classes. The plan was presented to the school board Tuesday. Like other school systems, Pinellas has seen a spike in absenteeism that has lingered in years since the pandemic. Tampa Bay Times.
Pasco: The school district here has agreed to change the way its schools treat students with disabilities as part of a settlement that is related to a U.S. Department of Justice civil rights investigation. The DOJ announced the settlement with the school district on Tuesday after a lengthy investigation found Pasco schools engaged in disability discrimination. The investigation also identified issues with the way schools conducted threat assessments. Tampa Bay Times.
Polk: Southwest Middle School unveiled its $55 million transformation, which offers the latest educational technology in three new buildings. “We have the ability every single day to change the trajectory of a child’s life,” said Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Fred Heid. “But we need an educational environment that will allow that to sustain over time. And I’m very proud of the work that went into this facility to ensure that we honor, recognize and maintain the legacy and the history of those who came before the students who are here today.” LkldNow.
Marion: High schools in this county can nominate one student each week for Student of the Week. Candidates include students who have shown outstanding academic and school achievement and community service. Nominations are due Thursday. Ocala Star Banner.
SAT news: The SAT, a college admissions exam completed using paper and pencil, is now officially digital. This week, students in the U.S. will begin taking the new SAT on their own devices or on school devices. The test is also one hour shorter, down from three hours, and has shorter reading passages. The revamped test is aimed to make grading easier and cheating harder. Students can take the test at a high school or a test center. "Today's students, they do a lot of their living digitally, they do a lot of their learning digitally and they do a lot of their test taking digitally," said Priscilla Rodriguez, who oversees the SAT for the College Board, the organization behind the test. NPR. The 19th.
Course removal: Last month, Florida officials removed sociology as one of the core courses that students can choose to finish their studies at public colleges and universities. In its place, the state inserted a new option for students, which is an introductory course surveying U.S. history up to 1877. That class spans U.S. history from the discovery of the Americas to the end of Reconstruction after the Civil War. Tampa Bay Times.
Colleges and universities: The president of Edward Waters, the state of Florida's oldest historically Black college and university, or HBCU, is dealing with old perceptions as the university grows. In response to a leader who said that the school had not done enough to make itself visible to the Jacksonville business community, A. Zachary Faison took to X to say, "“EWU has been present in Jacksonville for nearly 160 years. It is the literal birthplace of any and all semblances of higher education in this city and community,” Faison posted, in part, to the social media platform. “Saying that we aren’t ‘present’ or are ‘unknown’ because of a lack of effort or acumen on behalf of the current and/or former leadership is a disingenuous cop-out that patronizingly (reeks) of victim blaming.” Jax Today. After the University of Florida announced on March 1 that it was eliminating all positions related to diversity, equity and inclusion following a new Florida board of Governors regulation that labels expenses related to DEI as prohibited expenditures, students continued reacting to the decision. Lorena Bacallao, a UF student, said "As a school that takes so much pride in so many different things, like research and being the first, or being innovative ... I feel like it would have made more sense for the university to be the one that [said]: 'No, we're not doing this – this is a right,' but they did the opposite." The Gainesville Sun.
Opinions on schools: As. Gov. Ron DeSantis admitted, the tide of censorship in Florida schools and colleges has gone too far, and it's long past time to reverse this destructive trend. Katie Blankenship, Miami Herald. There's a trend in Florida education to rewrite history by putting the lives of oppressed people in a rosy light. Frank Cerabino, Palm Beach Post.
In the Legislature: The Florida legislative session kicked off Tuesday with a host of issues to watch, from school vouchers to school board races. Fox 13. The Florida Senate Education PreK-12 Committee advanced the "Teachers' Bill of Rights" legislation that Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed in January. SB 244 would create a new chapter of state law to consolidate and enhance the rules governing how teachers can control their classroom discipline and academic lessons, and ensure their employment status is now affected by their membership in a union. It also aims to establish additional new bonus and certification programs to attract and retain more educators in classrooms. School districts have reported about 5,000 teaching vacancies statewide. “This bill creates a solution for something urgently needed,” said sponsor Sen. Alexis Calatayud, R-Miami. Meanwhile, SB 256 targets the role of teachers unions and would increase the required percentage of teacher participation to maintain union certification. Tampa Bay Times. A proposal that would give Gov. Ron DeSantis power to shape the Florida High School Athletic Association Board of Directors and allow schools to offer pre-game prayers over stadium public address systems got backing in the Senate Monday. The Senate Education PreK-12 Committee voted 9-3 along party lines to approve SB 308. The bill would revamp oversight of the FHSAA, including shrinking its board to nine members from 16.
Miami-Dade: After Gov. Ron DeSantis released a target list of school board members, some have opinions on how Miami-Dade School Board member Luisa Santos got on the list. Miami Herald.
Pinellas: After complaints over the removal of Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye," school district officials said they will give the book another look. District officials plan to ask a committee of media specialists to determine if the novel is appropriate for high schools during a review of all books questioned throughout the school year. Tampa Bay Times.
Hernando: A school board meeting here turned into a battle over "equity." Suncoast News.
Parental rights law: LBGTQ students say the parental rights law needs clarity. Baynews 9.
Santa Rosa: A job fair will be held in Santa Rosa County on March 25 to recruit teachers, support staff, bus drivers and a host of other positions. WEAR.
Escambia: The school district here is showing improvement under Superintendent Tim Smith after board members requested his contract be reviewed. WEAR.
Universal school choice: Florida parents weighed in on how a universal school choice plan would impact them. State lawmakers proposed bills to remove income caps from the state's school voucher programs, which would make every school-aged child in the state eligible for a private school scholarship or to get funding for other education-related expenses. Parents are split on how the plan would benefit — and affect — their children's education. WFSU. WUSF.
Superintendent shuffle: In the past three years, more than half of the state's school superintendents have left their posts. Forty of the state's 67 school superintendents have left in the past three years, according to the Florida Association of District School Superintendents. “We have had a rather historical turnover,” said Bill Montford, a former Florida Senator and district superintendent. Yahoo News. ABC Action News.
University and college news: Students at the University of South Florida protested Monday to ensure vulnerable communities are protected in the midst of Gov. Ron DeSantis' push for changes in state colleges. The protesters demanded the university protects students from recent attacks by the governor on diversity, equity and inclusion. Some students filed into the University of South Florida’s board of trustees meeting with signs calling on school officials to fight state proposals targeting diversity programs. WMNF. Tampa Bay Times. The state's university system is under siege as state lawmakers convene for the 2023 legislative session. Florida Phoenix. The lists of diversity, equity and inclusion programs universities turned over in response to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ demands had common themes. Tallahassee Democrat. A professor, student and a New College alumnus spoke out about what's unfolding at New College of Florida. WGCU. Plans for a University of Florida campus in downtown West Palm Beach have been placed on hold after a disagreement between a key developer and officials over the schools naming rights. WLRN. Meanwhile, a potential University of Florida graduate campus in Jacksonville cleared its first hurdle in City Council. The Florida Times-Union.
Opinions on schools: Tuesday marked the first day of the two-month legislative session for 2023. Top legislative leaders cited education choice expansion as a priority during opening speeches to their chambers, and Gov. Ron DeSantis praised education choice and increased parental involvement as key to improving education during his annual State of the State address. Lisa Buie, reimaginED. Our stories are unique, but we have many things in common. We were born to parents who loved us but could not afford what many take for granted — a good education. Jayleesha Cooper and Brandon Villanueva Sanchez, reimaginED. Autonomy might not be the silver bullet for improvement. Malika Anderson, The 74th.
