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DeSantis moving to expand vaccinations for 50-and-older teachers and sworn law enforcement
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday said he wants to allow teachers and sworn law enforcement officers to be vaccinated soon as part of federally-supported COVID vaccination sites in major urban areas. “We’ll start probably 50 and up for the police and classroom teachers,” DeSantis at a news conference in Miami-Dade County. DeSantis also mentioned “fire” […]
Nearly 70,000 COVID cases related to FL K-12 schools since the fall; but weekly cases this winter are dropping
The number of COVID-19 cases related to Florida’s public and private K-12 schools is closing in on the 70,000 mark, nearly six months since the state began tracking the cases last September. However, weekly school cases during the pandemic’s winter months in Florida appear to have been dropping for a couple weeks now. The Florida […]
With school-related COVID cases rising in FL, Biden wants kids in brick-and-mortar classrooms
In five months time, from the fall to the second academic semester, Florida has totaled more than 65,000 COVID-19 cases related to K-12 public and private schools, according to the Florida Department of Health. That state data, released late last week, came on the same day that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced […]
DeSantis: Intense cold weather across the nation delays Moderna shipment to FL
As some areas in the United States continue to push through life-threatening cold weather and power outages, the severe winter weather has impacted COVID vaccine distribution to Florida. “Its not a great day here in Florida, weather-wise, but it’s a heck of a lot worse in other parts of the country,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis […]
FL expands state exam schedule for spring; critics opposed to any high stakes testing during the pandemic
Florida school districts will be given more time to schedule crucial state exams during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new emergency order from state education officials. Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran on Monday signed the new order granting school districts a wider testing window to help schedule statewide assessments while maintaining social distancing protocols […]
FL Legislature 2021: Thousands of schoolchildren can’t read proficiently; Lawmakers want to help fix that
In some parts of Florida, from impoverished communities to affluent areas, many children are struggling with reading, a foundational skill that paves the way to student success. But abysmal state test scores reveal that many Florida students are far behind. In Gadsden County in North Florida, only 10 percent of children who took a 3rd […]
FL districts told to use state plans as CDC releases guidance for school reopenings during COVID
Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran says that new CDC guidance on reopening schools safely is “informative” — but school districts and private schools should ultimately use Florida’s own guidelines. With most of Florida schools in brick-and-mortar classrooms since August, it’s easy to forget that not all schools in the United States have launched in-person instruction […]
Florida has not prioritized teachers for COVID vaccines, but 27 other states have
As of Thursday, over half of U.S. states allow some or all teachers to be eligible for COVID vaccines, according to data from Education Week. But not Florida. Despite brick-and-mortar schools being ordered to open since August of 2020, Florida’s educators are not in line for shots. Data from Education Week, as of Thursday, reports […]
New vaccine program faces dilemma: No Winn-Dixie, Walmart, Publix in some FL counties, sidelining residents
A new federal-state vaccine program has already hit roadblocks: The new vaccine sites for residents are stationed at Winn-Dixie, Walmart and Publix locations with pharmacies, but several counties have none of those stores, the Florida Phoenix found. And a handful of counties that have such stores, somehow aren’t participating in the new program. It’s a […]
More than 60,000 COVID cases related to FL K-12 public and private schools raise questions about safety
With new data from the first month of the 2021 spring semester, the total number of school-related COVID cases has risen to 60,690, which includes both public and private K-12 schools in Florida. The figure is based on COVID cases from Sept. 6 through Jan. 30, according to a Phoenix analysis of data from the […]
State will protect Floridians regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation
Earlier this week, the Florida Commission on Human Relations, a state agency responsible for addressing civil rights violations and discrimination, confirmed its responsibility to protect Floridians experiencing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. And Florida’s LGBTQ community is celebrating. Equality Florida, an advocacy group, held a virtual town hall over Facebook live on […]
FL Legislature 2021: Lawmakers will face trying times over the state of education, with COVID omnipresent
Parents lined up before Florida senators Wednesday to support vouchers for children to attend private schools with public dollars. But critics say lawmakers should focus on the nearly 2.8 million kids who attend public schools. The simmering public-private debate is just one aspect of what will be a unique legislative session in 2021, with the […]