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.
Miami-Dade: Students in this district wrapped classes on Wednesday. While summer vacation is here, the district grappled with challenges during the school year that included a teachers union protest and figuring out compliance with new laws. “Connect and inspire, and to me, that’s what this school year was all about,” said Superintendent Dr. Jose Dotres at a news conference. WTVJ. Meanwhile, the state's book rules are posing challenges for parents and educators. Miami Herald.
Palm Beach: The school board here meets about eight times per year to approve recommendations to expel students. At a meeting on Wednesday, nine students were expelled for a year. Seven of them brought weapons to campus. This school year, Palm Beach County Schools voted to expel 42 students for weapons violations. That is double any other year in the past five school years. WPTV.
Pinellas: Officials in Pinellas school district have selected a developer to build teacher and staff housing in St. Pete. Tampa Bay Business Journal.
Seminole: The debate surrounding the Lyman High School yearbook seemed settled. But on Tuesday, about 100 people signed up to speak on the issue. Fox 35.
Manatee: The new schools superintendent here, Dr. Jason Wysong, officially signed his contract last week. He will begin the job July 1. The retiring superintendent is Cynthia Saunders. WWSB.
Collier: The hearing for Naples grocer Alfie Oakes' lawsuit against the school board here was scheduled for Thursday. The suit claims the board and its search firm violated the Sunshine Law in the superintendent search. In the suit, filed May 17 with the Collier County Circuit Court, Oakes claims the school board allowed search firm Hazard Young Atea & Associates to select 10 candidates out of 45 privately, without public notice, comment or minutes. Fort Myers News-Press.
Alachua: Santa Fe College will start its own charter high school this August. The first cohort of 75 students has already been selected, coming from schools across Alachua County. The Academy of Science and Technology will serve high schoolers who want to pursue Career and Technical Education, or CTE, specifically in health sciences and information technology. Students will have the chance to graduate with their high school diploma, an associate of science degree and at least two industry certifications, all without debt. Main Street Daily News.
School safety: As politicians and activists push for limits on discussions of race, gender and sexuality, some students say the measures targeting aspects of their identity have made them feel less welcome in American schools. WUSF.
Hillsborough: Bhavya Bansal is celebrating both her Sweet 16 and being valedictorian this year, with a record-breaking 11.3 GPA. Her GPA is the highest in the 90-year history of Middleton High. She was also the first female to join the wrestling team. “That’s actually incredible; I’m so humbled and honored to be able to have that privilege to break that record,” said Bansal, whose academic ambition allowed her to skip ahead two years. Bhavya plans to attend Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in the fall, and wants to be a surgeon. ABC Action News. WPLG.
Federal coordinator: President Joe Biden's administration announced on Thursday several new protections for LBGTQ+ youth and families, including the position of a federal coordinator to counter book bans nationwide. The coordinator will train school districts and advise them that “book bans that target a specific community and create a hostile school environment may violate federal civil rights laws.” Florida Phoenix. NPR.
Textbook study: A study found that most textbooks don't include key events in U.S. history that involve Latinos. NPR.
School year roundup: Educators shared the highlights from this school year, ranging from weird to inspirational. Education Week.
Mental health: Across the nation, about 2,600 health centers operated out of schools in 2017, which is more than twice the number that existed two decades earlier. Some 6.3 million students in more than 10,000 schools had access to the centers, according to the School-Based Health Alliance. School-based health centers offer free services, from flu shots and physicals to contraceptive care and talk therapy, that students can access without insurance or a doctor's office trip. Many offer behavioral health care, which is increasingly in demand as the mental health challenges mount for students. Chalkbeat.
Career advice: The education job market is headed for a dramatic U-turn, with the hiring sprees of recent years headed to a screeching halt. In some areas, the reversal has already started, and districts are pulling down their "help wanted" signs. The 74th.
University and college news: State Rep. Fred Hawkins was selected Wednesday by South Florida State College trustees to succeed retiring school President Thomas Leitzel. Hawkins has served in the House since 2020, and was the lone finalist for the position. Details of his proposed contract won't be available until a June 21 meeting of the trustees, officials said. Leitzel is set to retire at the end of June, and Hawkins is expected to take on the presidency on July 3, pending contract approval. Tampa Bay Times. Miami Herald. Orlando Sentinel.
Opinions on schools: If our true goal was to kindle fires in the minds of young people, how would we design learning environments? A few suggestions stem from the idea of agency, the inner will that separates humans from computers and other animal species. If students make a decision to learn, there's nothing that can get in their way. And if they make a decision not to learn, there is very little that we can accomplish using carrots and sticks. Kelly Smith, reimaginED.
