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Kids will have a long summer: Districts across FL are delaying school start dates for up to 3 weeks
In a televised appeal to families concerned about COVID-19, Gov. Ron DeSantis said this week that if districts want to delay the new school year for a few weeks, “Have at it.” And districts are doing just that. More than half of Florida school districts have delayed their first days of school for the 2020-21 […]
Gov. DeSantis tries to rally Floridians behind his plans to reopen brick-and-mortar schools
Gov. Ron DeSantis appealed directly to Floridians Wednesday not to give in to fear and apprehension as his administration prepares to reopen public schools to millions of students in the next few weeks, notwithstanding daily increases in COVID-19 cases in the state. In an effort to reassure parents and students, DeSantis affirmed that families do […]
FEA’s lawsuit requests significant returns involving big money; calls Miami “ground zero” for COVID-19
The Florida Education Association’s lawsuit this week relates to a controversial emergency order for reopening schools but also requires significant state action that would likely require a big price tag. Reducing class sizes, adding more staff, ensuring schools have enough protective equipment and supplies and adding plexiglass shields are part of the “relief” the FEA […]
Statewide teacher union files lawsuit against FL Gov and officials to protect safety of children and school staff
The Florida Education Association, with the support of national teacher unions, filed a lawsuit Monday after weeks of backlash and concern about an emergency order requiring brick-and-mortar schools to reopen five days a week this coming school year. “We have got to do something about this emergency order because it is putting people in peril,” […]
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 […]