Around the state: First day of school in most counties across the state, spike in homeschooling, a new law requires K-8 schools to be prepared for allergic reactions, safety alert badges in Broward, new curriculum and schools in Pasco and enrollment woes in Miami-Dade. Here are details about those stories and other developments from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: For the sixth consecutive year, Miami-Dade County Public Schools earned an “A” grade, but Superintendent Jose Dotres says the district is in a fight to recruit and keep students. “We are losing enrollment like some other major school districts, and I just want to make sure that folks understand that it’s not only about, as a result of charter schools or private schools, the cost of living in Miami has increased and that has also created some departures,” Dotres said during a news conference. The district has been reaching out to families to talk about new initiatives, including four new artificial intelligence magnet programs. NBC Miami.
Broward: Students went back to school in this county on Monday, with artificial intelligence taking a role. Meanwhile, alert badges are new this year and are being implemented in case of emergencies. Speed cameras are also up and running near schools. WPLG. CBS Miami. Broward County Public Schools is expecting to lose about 8,000 students this year, so the school district is using various strategies to turn the trend of dropping enrollment around. One of them: Converting elementary schools into K-8 academies. NBC Miami.
Hillsborough: The two and a half month hiatus for summer break came to an end in Tampa Bay on Monday as nearly 400,000 children in the area returned to classrooms. Across the state, new directives were received by school officials regarding cellphone usage. Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, elementary and middle school students are not allowed to use cell phones during the school day. High school students are allowed to use their cell phones, but they are banned from using them during instructional times unless authorized by a teacher. Meanwhile, there were changes to the state's school security law. In Hillsborough County, a $178 million state-of-the-art school opened called Aquilla J. Morgan High. The school, which is expected to serve more than 1,500 students, includes programs designed to help students earn credentials. The school is named after the first Black teacher at Wimauma Elementary. Tampa Bay Times. Yahoo News. ABC Action News.
Pinellas: Officials here rolling out several science initiatives as they aim to improve student performance in that area. An Innovation Lab bus will travel to middle schools to provide hands-on STEM lessons. And school cafeterias will experiment with cooking some items from scratch with raw ingredients to improve meal quality for students. In addition, parents will be receiving more up-to-date information about their children's school bus rides while the district completes a transition to new software — set to go live in November — that will include notification capabilities. Meanwhile, the Largo area will get its first K-8 school due to the merger of Walsingham and Southern Oak elementary schools. At Gulf Beaches Elementary, students and staff returned for the first time since Hurricane Helene caused damage to the school in September. Security changes have also been made in Pinellas. “Some of the things that we were seeing and having to deal with just didn’t make sense and weren’t making people any safer and so now you don’t sacrifice safety, but you recognize common sense,” said Superintendent Kevin Hendrick. Tampa Bay Times. Yahoo News. Spectrum News.
Pasco: Elementary school officials in this county will introduce a new curriculum, and middle schools will see a new progression of courses while the district tries to get more children prepared for high-school level math. The district is also tightening up disciplinary procedures to provide teachers more control over classrooms. “We are focusing on student achievement and decreasing distractions,” said Superintendent John Legg. In addition, students in Port Richey and Lutz will be able to attend new K-8 schools this fall. Tampa Bay Times. Yahoo News.
Osceola: School officials here are moving forward with a plan to consolidate the special education department. The plan, announced earlier this year, creates special education hubs. Protests occurred at school board meetings earlier this year, calling for the district to halt or slow down the consolidation. Central Florida Public Media.
Sarasota: As childhood vaccination rates plummet and measles cases resurge nationwide, Sarasota County is facing a critical threat to public health. Roughly 82% of kindergarteners in the public school system were fully immunized against the disease this year — well below herd immunity. Across the state, kindergarten vaccination rates have also declined in recent years, but most counties remain ahead of Sarasota. About three-quarters reported higher immunization levels last school year — including nearby DeSoto at 91% and Manatee at 90%. The statewide rate was 89%. WUSF.
School choice: As school districts return to classes for the new school year across the state, there are fewer students in some of those public districts. A recent report found that districts across Florida are experiencing a decline in enrollment. Florida Politics. Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Education is developing a rule to govern distribution of Family Empowerment Scholarship payments to families, the agency noticed on Friday. If requested by the public, the department would hold a meeting on Aug. 22 “to set limits on when eligible scholarship students can receive all four quarterly scholarship payments in a year." Florida Phoenix.
Homeschool update: A growing number of students in Florida are being homeschooled. Statistics from the Florida Department of Education show more than 155,000 students were homeschooled in the 2023-24 school year. In the last five years, that number has increased by 46%. “Homeschooling is a reality,” said Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Jose Dotres. “If their children want to come to our school, let’s say for a particular class, they can come and use their voucher so they can come and participate with us.” WEAR. WPLG.
Allergic reactions: A new law requires K-8 schools to be prepared for allergic reactions. The law requires school personnel to be able to administer emergency epinephrine. “I think it’s extremely important,” said Dr. Siddarth Goyal of Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital. “I’m really glad they did this because, like I said, seconds matter in this kind of situation. And also you have a child who’s scared.” Spectrum News.
Father creates curriculum: As students head back to classes, a father in Central Florida is turning his fear into powerful lessons by creating a curriculum called Breaking the Silence, Stopping Gun Violence. It is designed for students, teachers and parents. “In this curriculum, I train the students how to understand their part that they must play in their safety and that is by creating one voice,” said Rico Sharp. Spectrum News.
Opinions on schools: It’s about time that Florida shed itself from worthless high school “completion” documentation called the “Certificate of Completion”. As of July 1, 2025, this document no longer exists, according to the Florida Department of Education. Phil Grisé, Tallahassee Democrat.
