No metal detectors: Plans to put metal detectors at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when school resumes Aug. 15 have been put on hold. “As we continue our due diligence to implement the program — consulting with vendors and experts and reviewing turnkey solutions — many issues have been raised that require the District to pause and have a more thoughtful discussion on policy and procedural aspects of this pilot,” Superintendent Robert Runcie wrote in an email to parents. District officials are still trying to work through the details on the kind of equipment needed, how to staff the detectors, how to get 3,300 students through the metal detectors in a timely fashion and maintaining student privacy. Parents had heard rumors that the use of detectors was being suspended, and quickly mounted an email campaign to Runcie with the message: “Time is of the essence. Please do it now.” Seventeen people, including 14 students, were shot to death at the school on Feb. 14. Sun-Sentinel. Miami Herald. Associated Press.

School shooting developments: A consultant's report concludes that the Broward County School District stripped accused Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz of the therapeutic services provided for special-needs students, then did not follow through when Cruz asked to return to the program. Because of those mistakes, the report says, Cruz had no counseling or special education services for the 14 months before the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. On Friday, a judge ordered the report released with redactions to protect Cruz's privacy rights, but the blacked-out portion of the report became visible when copied and pasted into another computer document. Sun-Sentinel. WPLG. New York Times. Capt. Jan Jordan, the Broward sheriff's district commander who was in charge of the office's response to the Parkland shootings, has been replaced by Capt. Chris Mulligan. Jordan was transferred to the sheriff's administration team in June. Parkland city officials had asked that she be replaced. Sun-Sentinel. (more…)

GAINESVILLE - Last week, the Florida Board of Education approved a plan that would consolidate the two public schools in Jefferson County, Fla. and convert them to a charter school.

As the board voted, Bill Brumfield, the newly elected school board chairman, breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank God," he said.

Thursday's vote ended months-long saga to win approval for a plan to turn around the struggling North Florida district.

And it sent one of the state's most impoverished and persistently struggling rural school systems down an uncharted course.

State board members remarked that Jefferson is preparing to launch a miniature version of the great experiment in New Orleans, in which the school district handed the operation of nearly all its public schools over to charter school providers in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

New Orleans "is a model, potentially, that can offer some hope" about what can happen when charter schools work with a district to raise student achievement, board member Rebecca Fishman Lipsey said, "especially where there's high levels of poverty."

Right now, four charter school operators may be candidates for the job. They include a network associated with one of Florida's largest management companies, the organization that revitalized public schools in a small Central Florida town, and a mom-and-pop Palm Beach County charter school founded by a Jefferson County native.

Over the next two weeks, the district will court these organizations, and try to find one that's up to the task.

"We're turning over to a charter school to save the district, for the children's sake," Brumfield told the state board, which rejected three earlier, state-mandated turnaround plans, deciding the district couldn't get the job done on its own.

Brumfield said parents, many of whom he'd taught over four decades as an educator, were ready for a big change.

"They all want this. They want something new," he said. "They see Governor's Charter [Academy] over in Tallahassee, and they want something like that, but in their community."

Decades of struggle

Jefferson County's school system is an outlier in many ways. (more…)

If Florida public school administrators decide to convert their school to a charter school, they have the law on their side.

An administrative law judge's ruling against the Miami-Dade school district last week was the first-ever ruling under Florida statutes that bar school districts from taking "unlawful reprisals" against employees who support charter conversions. But the question remains: Will those protections prevent school districts from derailing those efforts before parents and teachers can have their say, as happened in Miami-Dade?

According to the ruling by Edward Bauer of the state's Division of Administrative Hearings, the district tried to deter efforts to convert the Neva King Cooper Educational Center to a charter school. When administrators kept at it, the principal and assistant principal were transferred out of their jobs into what their attorney, Robin Gibson, called a "purgatory kind of existence," replacing their administrative duties with menial tasks like sorting crayons and organizing car keys.

Bauer ruled that was against the law, and that Alberto Fernandez, the center's former principal, is entitled to $10,000 worth of bonuses he would have received if he had remained in his old job.

However, the district still managed to thwart the charter conversion. Bauer declined to reinstate the two administrators to their old positions, noting the law requires them to be returned to "equivalent" jobs and that there are new top administrators in place at the school.

Gibson said he will likely contest that part of the decision. For the time being, he said, "the district can privately congratulate itself on still being unscathed."

Gibson said the ruling helps establish that if districts retaliate against employees who support charter school conversions, they'll be breaking the law. Now, "the question becomes, what are they going to do in light of this decision?" (more…)

Lawsuits. A lawsuit seeking sweeping changes to Florida's education system widens to include school choice programs. redefinED. Orlando Sentinel.

Graduation. The entire graduating class at a Lakewood Ranch private school is bound for college. Bradenton Herald. Career center graduates celebrate hard-won diplomas. Tampa Bay Times. A terminally ill dad gets to see his son graduate high school. Tampa Tribune.

Legislation. Pinellas County school district officials sound off on this year's legislative session, including school choice bills. Tampa Tribune.

Charter schools. The Lake Wales municipal charter system eyes expansion at one of its campuses. Lakeland Ledger.

Magnet schools. A Polk County magnet school helps provide a reading-friendly environment. Lakeland Ledger.

Common Core. Jeb Bush faces criticism for promoting the standards. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)

Charter schools. They're becoming more involved in the political process, reports the Florida Times Union. The Bradenton Herald takes a look at the challenges ahead for Rowlett Elementary, the Bradenton magnet that's becoming a charter school. So does the Sarasota Herald Tribune. (Sidebar on other charter school conversions here.) The fledgling Ben Gamla charterschool  in Pinellas closes because of a dispute with its national board, reports the Tampa Bay Times. The Lake Wales Charter School system has more than 400 students on a waiting list for its middle school, prompting debate how to expand, reports the Lakeland Ledger.

Dual enrollment. Districts are chafing at having to pick up the tab, reports the Tampa Bay Times. More from the Northwest Florida Daily News.

School choice. The lottery process will be a topic for discussion at a school choice summit in Palm Beach County. Extra Credit.

Common Core. Training helps teachers instill love of math, reports StateImpact Florida. It's clear, concise and good for kids, says a teacher at a high-poverty school in this column by Karin Choweth at Ed Trust (H/T Tampa Bay Times).

Testing. The Happy Scientist raises questions about the science FCAT. Miami Herald.

Humanities. Don't forget them amidst the growing emphasis on STEM. Tampa Bay Times.

School technology. Hillsborough teachers like BYOD. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)

Charter schools: Pembroke Pines city leaders release a privatization plan for its charter schools system that could result in hundreds of teachers losing their jobs. Miami Herald. The city plans to contract with Charter Schools USA for $10 million a year to operate the system. Sun-Sentinel.

School grades: Education officials from across the state head to Tampa today to talk with Board of Education members about the state's school-grading formula. Miami Herald.

Budget cuts: Lake County School Board members on Monday discussed changing school start times and cutting courtesy busing to fill a $16.3 million budget shortfall for next fiscal year. Orlando Sentinel.

Prison: Former Rosarian Academy teacher Stephen Budd faces a life in prison surrounding allegations that he traded candy for sex with 9-year-old students. Palm Beach Post.

Lawsuit: Palm Beach County schools sues the city of West Palm Beach for unpaid stormwater fees. Palm Beach Post.

Tony: Education Commissioner Tony Bennett talks Common Core, charter schools, teacher quality and more. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)

Bullying. Gov. Rick Scott signs the anti-bullying bill into law. Gradebook.

Teacher conduct. A private school teacher in West Delray is under investigation for allegations of sex with a student, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel. State officials are investigating whether a Collier County teacher verbally abused students, reports the NBC-2. A fired Duval teacher appeals, claiming age discrimination, reports the Florida Times Union.

Gays and lesbians. A federal judge rules in favor of a Lake County middle school student who wants to create a Gay Straight Alliance at her school. Orlando Sentinel.

K-8 schools. Orange County is going to create more of them. StateImpact Florida.

Spelling bee. A home school student from South Florida makes it to the semifinals, reports the Miami Herald. The winner, Arvind Mahankali of New York, is the sixth straight Indian-American to win and the 11th in the last 15 years. (more…)

Editor's note: This guest post is from Jesse L. Jackson, superintendent of Lake Wales Charter Schools in Lake Wales, Fla.

By early 2000, the once great tradition of outstanding local schools for Lake Wales’ citizens had reached a point of decline. It was at that time when concerned citizens, with the support of the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce education committee, decided to do something to reverse that trend. What emerged was not only an accountability driven charter school system, but, unexpectedly, the town’s biggest employer.

Since 2004, when five Lake Wales’ public schools were converted to public charter schools, and with the addition of Bok Academy charter school and the International Baccalaureate program to Lake Wales High School, a significant reversal has taken place in terms of quality and participation in our local schools. Many families that had previously decided to seek other opportunities to educate their children outside Lake Wales have found favor in our system, which now serves approximately 4,000 students. While the majority live in Lake Wales, many come from surrounding towns. Lake Wales Charter Schools pioneers such as Robin Gibson, Clint Horne, David Ullman and many others could feel quite satisfied when reflecting on the impact of their effort.

However, when the details are analyzed, it becomes quite clear the system offers more than just a great education for this community. The mere shift of the schools’ management from district headquarters in Bartow to Lake Wales has profoundly impacted Lake Wales’ economy.

Our principals are chief executive officers. They have the autonomy and responsibility to make decisions regarding the most effective way to run their schools, including financial matters. With each school’s annual budget ranging from roughly $2.5 million to $6 million, managing the operations of our charter schools is a huge responsibility. The autonomy provides our principals the freedom to make decisions regarding their engagement with businesses. Along with this freedom, they and other members of our leadership team have the responsibility and are compelled to adhere to the strictest finance and accounting principles to ensure our system’s finances are managed properly.

Our success as an effective school system has enabled us to evolve into a locally based multi-million dollar enterprise with an annual budget of more than $30 million. (more…)

It’s true: ALEC likes school choice. Walton likes school choice. Jeb Bush likes school choice. Some of the folks who like school choice even say bad things about traditional public schools and teachers unions.

But this is true too: President Barack Obama is a fan of charter schools. Former President Bill Clinton is ga-ga about KIPP. Liberal lions like Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Hubert Humphrey supported public funding for private options.

More importantly, this is true: Growing numbers of parents and politicians of all stripes like school choice. Many don’t bash public schools or teachers unions. Many could care less who the Koch Brothers are.

I know this is obvious to anybody who’s managed to take a peek beneath the surface of the choice debate. But at this time of year, with state legislatures in Florida and elsewhere in session, complexity is not a common commodity. Anything having to do with school choice is sealed into a boilerplate narrative about for-profit this and right-wing that. This year in Florida, the privatization label has even surfaced in stories about student data and IEPs for students with disabilities.

It’s different in the real world. Out here, parents are flocking to new learning options for the most personal of reasons: the success of their kids. (more…)

If you think the school choice debate in Florida is all us vs. them, maybe you’re not listening carefully enough. Here are three examples just from the past few days.

At Monday’s Senate Education Committee meeting, Sen. Bill Montford, a Democrat who heads the state superintendents association, introduced a bill that would give school districts the freedom and flexibility to create charter-school-like “innovation schools.” Along the way, he said this:

“We know that the vast majority of our charter schools in the state have done a good job. Usually what you hear of is those who don’t. But that’s like any – in public school, you hear about the bad stories. But we’ve learned a lot over 15 years. The charter schools have set the pace, if you will, for a lot of innovations and creative efforts. And they’ve been able to do that because they’ve been allowed to be creative. They haven’t been burdened quite frankly with some of the state rules and statutes.”

The only member of the public to comment at the hearing was Jim Horne, a former education commissioner under Jeb Bush who now heads the Florida Charter School Alliance. Both the alliance and Associated Industries of Florida, for whom he lobbies, support the bill, he told the committee. Then he said this:

“This is sort of a great partnership where we can benefit from what we’ve learned. We know charters started 15 years ago to be innovative, free from some of the bureaucracy. And we think districts ought to have that same opportunity, to be able to innovate and be able to be creative outside of the bureaucracy and some of the regulations that we hear choke innovation.”

The bill passed unanimously. But neither Montford nor Horne’s comments made the papers, which is too bad. Their positions not only made sense, but cut against the stereotypes that dog both the “education establishment” and the “school choice crowd.” Beyond the political theater, there’s a lot of that going on.

Here’s another example. The Ledger reported Tuesday that the Polk County School District may convert an elementary school and a middle school in Lake Wales into a K-12 arts magnet. The two schools are the only ones in Lake Wales that are not part of that community’s charter school system. So how did the charter system respond? (more…)