Education
Gov. DeSantis seems hellbent on taking us back to the ’60s — only it’s the 1860s
And just like that, it’s 1861. Gov. Ron DeSantis likes to call this the “Free State of Florida.” If he hasn’t yet wrapped himself in the Tenth Amendment or threatened secession, it’s only because he’s been too busy playing soldiers, organizing his private battalion, rewriting the past, and trying to destroy democracy. Give him time. […]
Biden extends student loan repayment pause three more months
President Joe Biden will continue a pandemic-spurred pause on student loan repayments until May 1, he said Wednesday. Loan repayments were set to restart on Jan. 31, following months when the U.S. Education Department required no payments during the pandemic. Biden told the department to extend the moratorium initially placed by President Donald Trump’s administration. […]
FL Dept. of Ed removed LGBTQ resources from website; Nikki Fried fills info gap
Following the removal of anti-bullying resources from the Florida Department of Education website, including information regarding LGBTQ students, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is providing that information instead. In a Tuesday press release, Fried announced a set of LGBTQ resources hosted on the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services website. “Improving the health, safety, […]
Ms. DeSantis adding ‘hope ambassadors’ to promote student mental health
As Florida students work through the stresses that come with learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, some may find comfort by talking with peers about mental health concerns. Some middle and high school students will be able to turn “hope ambassadors,” as First Lady Casey DeSantis has announced an expansion of a program that encourages students […]
Feds to send FL $86.9 million for school meals amid supply-chain challenges
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is sending Florida $86.9 million to schools for food to help them cope with supply-chain challenges associated with the COVID pandemic. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Friday that is Florida’s share of $1.5 billion being provided to states to buy food for school meals, including $200 million to be used […]
DeSantis: Parents could sue if kids are taught ‘critical race theory’ in FL public schools
In a campaign-like atmosphere that included throwing DeSantis hats into the audience and participants holding up red signs saying Stop W.O.K.E., Gov. Ron DeSantis railed Wednesday against “critical race theory” and promoted upcoming legislation to allow parents to sue if their kids are taught CRT in Florida public schools. Republican officials have used the misnomer […]
FL School Boards Association withdrew from national affiliate; Was it a partisan move or not?
When a letter from the National School Boards Association urged the Biden administration to do something about reports of threats and violence against school board members, it didn’t go well, particularly with conservative groups who claimed that the letter painted some parents as “domestic terrorists.” Now, several state school boards that were members of the […]
Following federal scrutiny, FL education officials returned $878,000 to certain local school boards
After several months of legal challenges, state sanctions, and a special session that outlawed strict mask mandates in public schools, the Florida Department of Education returned $877,851 in state funds to eight school districts that had been punished over a COVID-related mask controversy. “It has been put back, so we do have that money,” Russell Bruhn, […]
Listen, you U.F. brainiacs: Our Wise Governor will let you know what to think
These professors are out of control. And Mr. Morteza “Mori” Hosseini, chair of the University of Florida Board of Trustees, is not happy, not happy at all. How dare a bunch of weirdo so-called “scholars” complain about being forbidden to testify against Our Wise Governor’s fine new election laws or teach a class with a […]
This Republican says background checks, anonymous reporting can curb gun violence
The day before 17 people died in a shooting at a Florida high school, U.S. Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) was visiting Southwest Michigan’s Portage Central High School while it held a live shooter drill. “That never happened when I was a student,” Upton said during a recent phone interview with the Michigan Advance. “It was pretty […]
Voters approved nonpartisan school boards some 20 years ago, but GOP lawmakers want that to change
Florida’s nonpartisan school boards and the politics that surround the state’s education system have accelerated the political discourse since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, some GOP lawmakers are pushing to overhaul those boards by requiring elections to be partisan, meaning school board members would be connected to their political parties. Florida’s local school […]
A voucher program to curb bullying in FL schools could expand — but it may not be about bullying
A scholarship program originally intended to help students who are victims of bullying or other types of harassment could extend to students who haven’t faced any bullying at all. What’s going on? The Florida Legislature is considering legislation to expand a voucher program called the Hope Scholarship, which could potentially allow more students into the […]