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State Board of Ed: Kids could go to private schools if families dislike public COVID policies
Florida’s State Board of Education plans to hold an emergency meeting Friday to allow public school students to transfer to private schools as the COVID-19 pandemic continues and threatens the start of the school year next week. Under a rule from the education agency, families would be able to make the transfer if they believe […]
Volusia schools settle with feds over ‘systemic discrimination against students with disabilities’
A federal investigation that lead to a settlement confirmed that the Volusia County School District disciplined students with disabilities in an overtly punitive way. They excluded the children from the district’s education program and they removed kids from their classrooms with use of suspensions, law enforcement involvement, and a mental health law, known as the Baker […]
Statewide science scores in 5th and 8th grades dropped during the pandemic
Statewide science exams covering everything from earth and space science to physical science took a hit during the pandemic, with average passing rates lower than 50 percent for 5th and 8th graders. In 5th grade, 47 percent of students passed the state science exam in 2021, compared to 53 percent in 2019. (Florida didn’t administer […]
$25 million dollars could be paid out to the victims and others from the 2018 Parkland shooting
Victims and others related to the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 could be compensated for the tragic event, according to legislation filed this week. The bill by State Sen. Joe Gruters, a Republican representing Sarasota County and part of Charlotte, could be considered in the 2022 legislative session starting in […]
Only 37 percent of FL 8th graders passed a crucial statewide math exam
A solid grasp of exponents, functions, properties of geometric shapes and other skills can help set up 8th graders for success in higher-level math, but in 2021, only 37 percent of 8th graders tested in Florida passed the statewide math exam. Those dismal math results — the lowest since at least 2015 — mean 8th […]
Discipline of minority schoolchildren in FL and elsewhere can be discriminatory and disturbing
In the fall of 2019, a little Black girl named Kaia Rolle was arrested at her Orlando school, allegedly for throwing a tantrum. A police officer zip-tied her hands behind her back and placed her in the back of a police car for kicking a school staffer. Rolle was just 6 at the time, and […]
FL Ag Commissioner Fried uses her authority to tackle the COVID crisis, including getting info to the public
After state health officials stopped providing daily COVID-19 reports, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried decided to fill the “COVID information-sharing void” through regular updates. Fried, an elected Cabinet official and a 2022 gubernatorial candidate, hopes to provide daily, “if not, almost daily,” COVID-19 updates to inform the public, she announced at a Wednesday press conference. […]
Traditional public school educators left out from DeSantis roundtable on masks at schools
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday afternoon held a roundtable discussion about masks at schools, but he didn’t invite or include traditional public school educators, even as the new public school year looms and families and educators face decisions on mask-wearing. In addition to health officials on the roundtable, the participants included two nontraditional public charter […]
5th grade public school teacher Sarah Painter is 2022 Teacher of the Year following tough COVID-19 school year
“Find Joy.” That was the motto for 5th grade teacher Sarah Ann Painter and her students at Clearwater’s Eisenhower Elementary in Pinellas County, to help everyone get through a troublesome school year during the COVID-19 pandemic. She recalled that story in her acceptance speech at an Orlando gala announcing the 2022 Florida Teacher of the […]
The feds earmarked $15 billion for FL schools to help kids in the pandemic, but it’s largely an unused stockpile
By the spring of 2020, reality was setting in that the COVID-19 pandemic would stick around for quite some time, and Florida’s school districts were confronting an unknown education world. Districts started talks about the next school year, considering mask mandates, staggered classroom schedules and other measures to bring struggling students up to par — […]
DeSantis: “Vaccines are saving lives;” fewer than half of Floridians fully vaccinated and cases are rising
As Gov. Ron DeSantis touted the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines during a Wednesday news conference, fewer than half of Floridians have been fully vaccinated — problematic because cases are rising, spurred by more contagious variants. The governor was in St. Petersburg discussing red tide issues, but veered off topic when a reporter asked about the […]
A conundrum: Two major health authorities differ on school masks
What should schools do when two major health-related groups conflict on how to handle the face-mask issue as the new academic year looms and the COVID-19 pandemic continues? Districts in Florida and elsewhere will have to figure that out, because as of Sunday, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that all school teachers, staff and […]