Around the state: A religious sign ban in Broward, a book challenge policy update in Alachua, the teachers union raises issues with the school district in Lee and a housing survey in Manatee. Here are details about those stories and other developments from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: Religious signs would be banned from Broward County schools under a policy change. The School Board is scheduled to vote on Dec. 17 on whether to approve the change in policy that would ban religious groups from appearing on banners on school grounds. The School Board discussed it during a workshop on Tuesday, and only one of the nine board members voiced concerns about the proposed change. The proposal is the result of a lawsuit. South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Lee: There are currently 131 instructional positions open in Lee County. The Teachers Association of Lee County took up the fight against the Lee County School District. In the summer, an arbiter ruled the school district had to pay $5.5 million. The district also created a list of who would get paid. But the union claims that not all teachers received the funds they deserved. “We are the lowest starting salary in Southwest Florida, with, you know, probably the second highest cost of living, just behind Collier County. The district needs to start paying attention to if we’re going to beat the trend and get as many highly qualified teachers as we can here in Lee County,” said Kevin Daly, the president of the Teacher's Association of Lee County. WINK.
Manatee: A survey showed this county's high housing prices have most school teachers looking for an affordable place they can live. The survey, which drew almost 300 responses, found that the majority of workers would be open to the idea of living in an affordable apartment complex that was built for district employees. The Manatee County School Board is still weighing a developer's plan to build 132 apartments for district employees on five acres of land owned by the district in Bradenton. Bradenton Herald.
St. Lucie: Somerset College Prep Academy has a new security policy being used to screen faculty and staff. The new policy includes advising the school of the clearance status of the candidate in addition to providing information regarding "whether a candidate has a criminal record." Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association, says there should be universal and strict standards for anyone who works with children in Florida schools, both public and private. "We should do everything we can to make sure that they are safe, that they are secure, and that they have the best people working with them," Spar said. CBS 12.
Alachua: The School Board approved the first reading of an amendment to its policy on book challenges during a regular meeting on Tuesday. The new amendment prohibits residents who are not the parent or guardian of a student with access to school district materials from objecting to more than one material per month. In addition, the amendment clarifies the review process and removes the requirement for a hearing officer, and notes that the school board's decision — based on the recommendation of a hearing committee — will be final. Main Street Daily News.
Holiday season: Twinkling lights and festive music are part of the holiday season. But for children with autism, it can create a sensory overload, prompting experts to offer tips to help. WLRN.
Colleges and universities: No pedestrian crashes were recorded during the fall semester in the area where a hit-and-run driver killed a Florida State student in April. ABC Action News.
Opinions on schools: Child care is notoriously unaffordable for many American families. Gabrielle Pepin, The 74th.
Book review process: The school board in Brevard spent nearly two weeks debating their public comment policy, prompted by concerns that parents may disregard the book review process to fast-track getting a book off school library shelves through a loophole created by a new law. No changes were made to the policy at Tuesday's meeting, but board members discovered that some challenged books had been banned due to the loophole. House Bill 1069, which dictates what can and cannot be taught in schools, says that parents must be allowed to read from challenged books. If a school board member stops them because the content is sexually explicit, the book must come out of all schools within five days. Florida Today. In Volusia, A total of 89 books were challenged in Volusia County Schools in the 2022-2023 school year, according to data released by the Florida Department of Education. Palm Coast Observer.
Unpaid school vouchers: Florida families are saying school vouchers have been unpaid. The first disbursements in the newly-expanded program were due on Sept. 1. Lawmakers lifted the eligibility requirements for the system, which led to a doubling of participation this fall to more than 400,000 children. The disruption appears to have affected thousands of students, leaving parents and school officials unable to get answers from those in charge of the voucher system.“This year it’s been the worst,” said Maria Preston, who runs Fort Lauderdale's Diverse Abilities Center. Tampa Bay Times.
Palm Beach: School Superintendent Mike Burke spoke about issues the school district is facing and priorities for the year in front of the League of Women Voters. Palm Beach County mother Monica Baber says knowing what’s going on with her children’s education is a big priority. That’s why she came to Mounts Botanical Garden to hear Burke talk Wednesday. “I want to know that they are getting taught to tackle further challenges that will come along in higher education, and I want to make sure they're going to be well rounded," said Baber. WPEC.
Brevard: The county school board moved toward a settlement in a lawsuit over a student with Down syndrome who came home with a mask tied to her face during a school mask mandate two years ago. The board prevailed earlier this year in a $100 million federal lawsuit filed by the family of then 7-year-old Sofia Bezerra, a special needs student at Ocean Breeze Elementary in Indian Harbour Beach. Florida Today.
Seminole: Moms for Liberty, the conservative group founded in Florida, aimed to get books pulled from Seminole County Public Schools libraries by reading aloud at a school board meeting this week passages they said amounted to pornography. The Seminole County School Board on Tuesday night listened without interruption as Moms for Liberty members and supporters read short book excerpts, in almost all cases without naming the book or the author. Orlando Sentinel.
Alachua: The school board here acknowledged at its meeting earlier this week that it is investigating a student club at Gainesville High School that limits participation to Black male students. Superintendent Shane Andrew disclosed that a parent of one of the students who attended the club submitted a complaint to the school district's human resources department. The parent's issue was with the information presented to students. WUFT. Gainesville Sun.
Veterans program: Over a year after the Florida Department of Education amended its teaching requirements to give military vets an easier pathway to become certified teachers, state figures show veteran participation hasn't been stellar. “It seems like there was a lot of fanfare around this program being a huge solution to a problem. Clearly, that's not the case,” said Andrew Spar, head of the Florida Education Association (FEA), the state’s largest teacher’s union. At the start of the school year, the FEA issued a press release saying the number of teacher vacancies in the state reached nearly 7,000, "the worst in state history." ABC Action News.
Advocacy for students: A small group of parents, students and residents voiced support for LBGTQ+ students earlier this week at a Hillsborough County School Board meeting. The message: Marginalized groups deserve respect and protection. A new program launched this year by Equality Florida called "Fall into Action" helped them share the message. Spokesperson Carlos Guillermo Smith said the initiative's goal is to give people the tools needed to sign up and speak out at local school board meetings in every district in the state. WUSF.
University and college news: Florida State University College of Medicine's Orlando regional campus is celebrating its 20th graduating class. WESH. Florida Atlantic University faculty want their interim president to become permanent amid a stalled search for president as the state investigates what it called "anomalies" in the search process. The hope is that interim President Dr. Stacy Volnick, who has been serving in the role since late last year, become's the university's permanent leader. WPTV. Ben Sasse, the new president at University of Florida, talked about ideas for changing campus culture and a possible tuition hike as he made the rounds on campus recently. Tampa Bay Times. Student and dads from Florida State University schools are participating in the Walking School Bus. WXTL.
