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Jeffrey S. Solochek - Education Reporter

Education Reporter

I've been an education reporter for more than 25 years, in Illinois, Texas and Florida. Why stick with it? Because I see education as key to our community, whether it's about children learning, teachers and staff working, or residents seeking the best for their tax dollars. Our school systems are critical to our society, and I strive to tell you what's going on there. I've worked at the Tampa Bay Times since 2000, covering statewide education issues as well as the districts in Hernando, Hillsborough and Pasco counties. Think I've missed something? Send your ideas my way. I read all my emails.

  1. The University of Florida has given accepted students added time to make their admission decision, after a series of problems with a new version of the federal financial aid program.
  2. Hillsborough County then-superintendent Addison Davis led an unsuccessful 2022 drive for a local-option property tax to support teacher pay. The school board is considering a proposal by current superintendent Van Ayres to try again in 2024.
  3. The University of Florida is one of many state universities to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Students say they're feeling the effect.
  4. With her son, Wyatt, beside her holding props, Myndee Washington, a teacher and LGBTQ+ activist, calls on the Pasco County School Board to rescind its ban on "safe space" stickers during a meeting on Sept. 12, 2022. Now that a court settlement has clarified the law that caused the ban, Washington is asking the district to reverse it.
  5. Football players take a water break during practice at Armwood High School on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023, in Seffner. Florida requires schools to provide protections from heat for its student athletes. It does not mandate similar rules for farm workers.
  6. USF's Kobe Knox drives to the basket against Tulsa. February 14, 2024. The NAACP is urging student-athletes to "reconsider" offers to go to Florida schools, citing a new state law that targets spending on diversity programs.
  7. Students at Hillsborough High hold an LGBTQ+ pride flag during a statewide school walkout to protest the Parental Rights in Education bill on Thursday, March 3, 2022 in Tampa, The measure, derided by critics as the Don't Say Gay, later passed and became the subject of a federal lawsuit that was settled this week.
  8. Passengers move between terminals on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Tampa International Airport in Tampa. Spring break got off to a stressful start for thousands of travelers to and from Florida over the weekend, with hundreds of flights delayed or canceled in most major airports.
  9. Pinellas County School Board member Dawn Peters suggests that student cell phones should be off and out of sight in all grades for the entirety of the school day, during a board workshop on March 5, 2024. Others disagree.
  10. The Pasco County School Board holds its meetings inside Building 3 at district headquarters in Land O' Lakes. The board approved a $1.2 million settlement with the family of Marcus Button, a former student injured in a 2006 bus accident. But the deal fell through as the 2024 legislative session came to a close.
  11. Florida senators Tracie Davis, D-Jacksonville, and Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, debate school voucher legislation on the Senate floor on March 6, 2024, in the waning days of the 2024 legislative session.
  12. Senate President Kathleen Passidomo made deregulation of Florida public schools a priority for the 2024 legislative session. She got some of what she wanted, and pledged to continue the process in future years.
  13. Pages from guidelines released in summer 2023 detail how Florida families can spend school voucher money left over after a child’s private school tuition and fees have been paid. Allowable Items, which are supposed to have educational uses, include televisions, kayaks and individual trampolines. Lawmakers talked about restricting the items but then backed off.
  14. The Senate quietly accepted scaled-back measures advanced by the House (SB 7002 and SB 7004), sending the two remaining bills to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his consideration.
  15. Fivay High School is one of many Pasco County middle and high schools where Pasco Sheriff’s Office deputies serve as school resource officers.
  16. The Pinellas County School Board discusses proposed changes to the student code of conduct and progression plan during a workshop on Tuesday in Largo. From left are board members Eileen Long, Stephanie Meyer, Lisa Cane and Laura Hine. At right is school board attorney David Koperski. The board heard a proposal to ease rules for exempting final exams.
  17. The Florida Senate approved a revised bill aimed at children under 16 from having social media accounts.
  18. This sign greets visitors to the Pasco County school district headquarters in Land O'Lakes on Monday, March 4, 2024.
  19. The Florida Department of Education has proposed a rule that would punish principals who remove access to school library books 'without legal cause.'
  20. Banned books are on display in a booth during the American Association of School Librarians national convention on Oct. 19, 2023, in Tampa. Florida is crafting new rules on book challenges after Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized "bad actors" that he said are abusing the challenge process.
  21. State Rep. Yvonne Hinson, D-Gainesville, argues that Florida teachers must understand the history of Ocoee, Jim Crow  laws and other aspects of Black history in order to properly educate their students. She sought to amend a bill that would bar "identity politics" from teacher preparation programs, during House floor debate on Feb. 29, 2024.
  22. Pinellas County public schools are considering new rules requiring students to keep their cell phones off and out of sight during the class day.
  23. Florida lawmakers continue to debate several education related measures as their 2024 legislative session nears its end.