Teachers losing jobs: More than 900 Florida teachers – many of whom were rated effective on their evaluations – are out of a job because they couldn’t pass the Florida Teacher Certification Exam. The exam, which includes a variety of subject area exams and general knowledge tests, was toughened three years[Read More…]
Tag: Southern Poverty Law Center
Florida schools roundup: Amendment 8 suit, charter schools, unions and more
Amendment 8 lawsuit: Amendment 8 is misleading and should be removed from the ballot, the League of Women Voters and the Southern Poverty Law Center argue in a lawsuit filed Thursday in Leon County. The lawsuit focuses on the part of the proposed amendment that would allow allow entities other than[Read More…]
Florida schools roundup: Solar eclipse, sales taxes, school names and more
Eclipse schedules: School districts around the state are deciding if their students will be permitted to view the solar eclipse Monday, and if they will be, how they might do so safely. Palm Beach Post. Fort Myers News-Press. Northwest Florida Daily News. St. Augustine Record. Gradebook. WFTX. WJAX. Jackson County Floridan. WCJB. WPEC. Gradebook.[Read More…]
Florida schools roundup: Private and charter school growth, lawsuit and more
Private, charter growth: Private school enrollment is up 6.5 percent in Florida, the sixth straight year of growth, and now makes up 11.6 percent of all pre-K through 12th grade students. There are 368,321 school students at 2,663 private schools in the state, according to the annual report from the Florida[Read More…]
Florida schools roundup: ‘Schools of hope,’ testing and religion bills and more
‘Schools of hope’: In Florida, 77,000 students attend public schools that have received grades of D or F from the state for three years or more. Those are the schools House Republicans plan to improve with their “Schools of Hope” legislation, which would set aside $200 million to bring in well-regarded charter schools[Read More…]
Florida schools roundup: Missing fuel, superintendents, aid forms and more
Missing fuel: More than $500,000 worth of gas and diesel fuel is unaccounted for, taken from Palm Beach County School District gas pumps between 2013 and 2016 at times when the district is closed, an audit disclosed this week. The district’s inspector general said lax controls allow employees to share[Read More…]
Florida schools roundup: Civil rights complaint, closings, a kind act and more
Civil rights complaint: A federal civil rights complaint is filed against the Pinellas County School District. The Southern Poverty Law Center charges that the district punishes black students and students with disabilities more often and more harshly than it does white students. The organization is asking the Department of Education’s Office of[Read More…]
Florida schools roundup: LGBT policies, charters, uniforms, politics and more
LGBT policies: The Brevard County School Board approves a non-discrimination policy for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender staff and students. The debate took six hours and the vote was 3-2 on the controversial measure, which would also ban discrimination on the basis of pregnancy. Florida Today. The Hillsborough County School District is planning a[Read More…]