March 28, 2024
Florida school leaders ask state to suspend testing consequences another year

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Florida school leaders ask state to suspend testing consequences another year

| 1/27/2022

Florida school leaders ask state to suspend testing consequences another year

Florida schools largely are staying open during the surge of coronavirus omicron variant cases, but many students and staff members have been missing days as they self isolate. And unlike last year, the schools don’t have live remote lessons to bridge the gap. That in mind, some are suggesting the state waive the consequences associated with annual spring testing results for another year. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Education deepens partisan divide during Florida legislative session

Politics in education is getting more intense in Florida as the 2022 legislative session continues. Two bills are making their way through both chambers that would change how the state conducts its local school board elections. One piece of proposed legislation, House Bill 1467, would take away school board members’ salaries and change how school library materials are stored and published online. [Source: WFLA]

Faculty groups blast Florida bill to make presidential searches more secret

A bill that would keep parts of the presidential selection process secret at Florida’s public colleges and universities is drawing harsh criticism from faculty leaders, who call it an authoritarian move. With presidential searches underway at four state universities, faculty organizations in Florida and beyond say the legislation threatens to blur the line between higher education and politics. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Florida school district cancels civil rights seminar over race theory concerns

School administrators in a central Florida county canceled a seminar for history teachers on the U.S. civil rights movement, in part, because it had not been screened to make sure it was free of critical race theory, which the college professor planning the presentation says it didn’t have. Michael Butler said Monday that he had been scheduled to give a presentation over the weekend before Osceola County teachers on the history of the U.S. civil rights movement since 1896 when he was notified that the seminar was canceled. [Source: AP]

What is school choice and what are my options in Florida?

A lot of families move to certain neighborhoods, hoping to live in a great school district. Some families choose to move closer to schools that have a STEAM-focused education, maybe a really robust arts program or a legendary athletics department. Whatever your desire is for your students, in Florida and many states across the country, you've got the option of school choice. What exactly does that mean? [Source: WTSP]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Gov. DeSantis, state lawmakers highlight success of book delivery program
Joined by lawmakers and state leaders, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke in Crawfordville to highlight the early reading initiatives and education standards changes that Florida was using to improve educational outcomes. The governor highlighted Riversink Elementary in Crawfordville’s success for almost a decade. “I’m proud to say that for the past nine years, this school has been graded either A or B for nine years, so we’re really proud of that,” DeSantis said.

› Two Florida universities share top ranking for online bachelor’s programs
Three Florida universities placed among the top 10 in U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of online bachelor’s degree programs announced Tuesday, with two state schools tied for the No. 1 spot. The national rankings were based on ratings in four categories — engagement, services and technology, faculty credentials and training, and expert opinion.

› Judge blocks ‘unconstitutional’ UF rules limiting professors from testifying against state
A federal judge on Friday blocked the University of Florida (UF) from barring professors from testifying as expert witnesses against the state government, the latest development in a national controversy over efforts to limit the role of three academics in a voting rights lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis. Calling professors “priests of our democracy” who provide guidance in truth and informed citizenship, U.S. District Judge Mark Walker in Tallahassee issued a preliminary injunction against the university.

› DeSantis’ inspector general is reviewing Florida education bid-rigging case
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ chief inspector general is reviewing the handling of a bid-rigging probe at the Florida Department of Education, his office said Monday. In a reversal from the office’s previous statement, DeSantis spokesperson Taryn Fenske confirmed Chief Inspector General Melinda Miguel is reviewing how the Department of Education and its inspector general handled the bid for a multimillion-dollar contract.

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