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FL’s Ed Commissioner and local boards clash over who’s in charge of reopening schools during pandemic
With the new academic year looming in Florida, it’s not clear who has the authority to get thousands of children and teens back to school during the COVID-19 pandemic. The uncertainty in recent days surrounds a clash between state-level education directives and the powers of local school boards granted in Florida’s Constitution, according to public […]
FL Education Commissioner says media misreported his emergency order; will not retract directive
As educators across Florida scramble to adjust to a controversial emergency order signed by Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran — directing all districts to provide in-person instruction five days a week — Corcoran says the order gives complete flexibility and accountability to school districts. The commissioner then claimed that news sources didn’t read the order […]
Republican state Rep says Aug. 10 school start date would be ‘potentially catastrophic’
A Republican state House member from Central Florida is urging school board members to back off sending kids to brick-and-mortar classrooms in August. “I strongly encourage you to postpone bringing the majority of our students back for face-to-face instruction in August,” State Rep. Rene Plasencia wrote in a letter earlier this week. “An Aug. 10 […]
National organizations urge safe school reopenings, knocking “one-size-fits-all” approach
School officials and health departments should lead the initiative of reopening schools safely, with science driving the decision-making, key national groups said Friday in a written statement. “Public health agencies must make recommendations based on evidence, not politics,” the organizations said. “We should leave it to health experts to tell us when the time is […]
Trump’s politicking in FL’s swing state doesn’t mesh with district planning for the new school year
“SCHOOLS MUST REOPEN IN THE FALL!!!” President Trump virtually yelled in a tweet earlier this week. Florida’s DeSantis administration heard the order. Within hours, Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran retweeted the president on his own Twitter page. He did more than that. Corcoran signed an emergency order demanding that brick-and-mortar schools fully reopen in the […]
House member afflicted with COVID pleads for mask mandate, saying, ‘I don’t wish this on anyone’
Florida Rep. Shevrin Jones tested positive for COVID-19 last Wednesday. Now, he uses social media to update his constituents on his condition and has called upon Gov. Ron DeSantis to impose and enforce a statewide mask mandate. “I don’t know what it feels like to run a state of 20 million people. But, I am […]
Plastic barriers and ‘mask breaks’ — Florida school districts get creative with plans to reopen schools
When Jacksonville schools reopen in the fall, students will see their friends again for the first time in months — through the glossy sheen of a plastic divider sitting on their desks. That’s because the Duval County School District recently approved the use of these barriers between seats in computer labs and at desks where […]
DeSantis quietly signs abortion parental consent bill; opponents expect to challenge the law in court
Gov. Ron DeSantis quietly signed legislation Tuesday that requires parental consent for a pregnant minor to get an abortion. Critics say it’s unconstitutional, and the ACLU of Florida called the law a “sham.” Under the new law, if a Floridian minor is pregnant from any circumstances, including through acts of rape and incest, she must […]
State budget transparency? How bringing home the bacon can become a sneaky legislative maneuver
Like many lawmakers who work to bring home the bacon for constituents, State Sen. Travis Hutson pushed for $10 million in the new state budget for Manatee County road projects. He secured the funding, even as Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed hundreds of other local projects in the 2020-21 budget. However, Hutson doesn’t represent Manatee County. […]
Not every district can deliver the promise of $47,500 salaries for starting teachers this year
Gov. Ron DeSantis has lauded a half-billion-dollar initiative to bring beginning teacher salaries to $47,500 and boost pay for experienced teachers. But the reality is that not every district will be able to deliver the promise of salaries of $47,500 to starting teachers this year or even the next. The initiative has few details, educators […]
Gov. DeSantis signs ‘Tammy Jackson Act,’ aiding pregnant women in prison, into law
Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that promises pregnant women in prison will receive adequate medical attention and dignity. HB 1259, also known as the “Tammy Jackson Act,” was filed by Rep. Shevrin Jones, a Democrat who represents part of Broward County, and Rep. Amy Mercado, a Democrat representing part of Orange County. The […]
Dems want Gov. DeSantis to apologize over comments about workers and COVID
Democratic state senators demanded an apology Monday from Gov. Ron DeSantis for comments attributing the uptick in COVID-19 cases to “overwhelmingly Hispanic” construction workers and farm laborers. “Some of these guys go to work in a school bus, and they are all just packed there like sardines, going across Palm Beach County or some of […]