Common Core: Gov. Ron DeSantis says he will sign an executive order “eliminating Common Core and the vestiges of Common Core” in Florida schools. DeSantis made that promise during his 2018 campaign, saying he had heard complaints from many people about the national academic standards for math and language arts that were adopted in 2010. The state adapted the standards with about 100 changes in 2014 and renamed them the Florida Standards. DeSantis says he's instructed Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran to develop new state curriculum standards over the next year that will then be presented to the 2020 Legislature. News Service of Florida. Associated Press. Orlando Sentinel. Tampa Bay Times. GateHouse. Florida Politics. Politico Florida. Fort Myers News-Press. Orlando Weekly. WFTX. WKMG. Some reaction from parents and educators around the state. WPTV. WCTV. WEAR.
Parents, Runcie meet: Parents of students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School unload on Broward Superintendent Robert Runcie at their first face-to-face meeting Thursday. Parents wanted to know why there were no metal detectors at the school, who would respond in the next emergency, how district officials can assure them no student with a gun will get on campus again, and more. Several called on Runcie to resign. Runcie spoke little, and apologized for not meeting with them earlier. The next meeting, with 10th-grade parents, is Monday, followed by meetings with parents of juniors Tuesday and seniors Feb. 11. Sun Sentinel. A Broward County task force reviewing the shootings at Stoneman Douglas reviews a report that urges an upgrade to the county's radio communication system. Sun Sentinel. (more…)
School security criticized: School districts across the state are "not moving fast enough" to comply with the law passed last year that requires specific measures to improve security in schools, says the chairman of the state commission that investigated the Parkland school shooting. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri told the House Education Commission that school districts have "no sense of urgency" to have an armed guard in every school or to prepare for a potential attack, as required by the law. He suggested that districts that are slow to comply should be penalized by the Florida Department of Education. Tampa Bay Times. Florida Politics. Politico Florida. The Broward County School District is struggling to create safe "hard corners" in 20,000 classrooms. Finding one safe spot in a room that's big enough for all students is one problem, and principals say they aren't the safety experts who should be choosing the safest corner. Sun Sentinel. The Broward County School District is named one of six American K-12 districts to watch this year. As the site of the 2018 Parkland school shooting, Broward is at the center of the discussion on security in schools. Education Dive.
DOE counsel named to court: U.S. Department of Education general counsel Carlos Muniz has been appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Muniz, 49, has no judicial experience but has been a lawyer for U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, former Gov. Jeb Bush and former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. This is DeSantis' third appointment to the court since he took office two weeks ago. Associated Press. News Service of Florida. GateHouse. Orlando Sentinel. Tampa Bay Times. Education Week. WPLG. Sunshine State News. (more…)
