School’s out for Hurricane Eta. Or is it?

Raise your hand if you thought we’d make it through the hurricane season without canceling classes. For many Florida school districts, it looked like a distinct possibility even with the long list of named storms in the record book. Then Eta made a turn. Read on for the latest on that and other Florida education news.

Most schools in the Tampa Bay region closed their doors because of the bad weather. Hillsborough County chose to keep classes going remotely. It’s not alone. Manatee County did the same, the Bradenton Herald reports. So, too, did Duval County schools, the Florida Times-Union reports. • Area colleges and universities kept their options open as the storm approached.

The University of South Florida is poised to cut millions in spending. Faculty members are suggesting the administration is going too far.

These moms still are not okay with masks in schools. They continue to protest the Volusia County school district’s mandate, even after being trespassed from board meetings, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.

Bah, humbug. The Marion County school district has banned marching bands and other groups from participating in Christmas parades because of coronavirus concerns, the Ocala Star-Banner reports.

Home for the holidays? Stay there. Many Florida universities plan to end first semester in-person classes after students head out for Thanksgiving, Florida Phoenix reports.

Why are some teachers' requests to work from home denied? Broward County superintendent Robert Runcie said his district couldn’t operate if it approved all of them, the Sun-Sentinel reports. • Schools across Florida and the nation are taking different approaches to teacher health and safety concerns, Education Week reports.

If students are in schools, teachers need to be there. Children have returned to in-person learning in larger numbers in Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties, TC Palm reports. • Citrus County schools are working to have enough teachers and space available to students as they choose traditional classrooms, the Citrus County Chronicle reports.

Pay up. Volusia County’s interim superintendent got a 34 percent raise. The School Board is describing the expense as savings overall, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.

Time to go. Two departing Sarasota County School Board members bade farewell to their colleagues at their final meeting, the Herald-Tribune reports.

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School boards are required to hear public comment. Questions have emerged whether the Miami-Dade County board’s decision to stream 18 hours of recorded comments overnight meets the mandate, WLRN reports.

Old schools never die. An unused Santa Rosa County elementary school is set to give way to apartments for military personnel, the Pensacola News-Journal reports.

Sue you. A former Leon County high school basketball coach has sued the district and its superintendent over a 2017 arrest he contends resulted from the politics of the superintendent’s office, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

Don’t look for the union label. St. Leo University in Pasco County has decertified its faculty union, leaving its instructors worried about their fate, WMNF reports.

About that plan to end undergraduate education programs at USF. Sen. Jeff Brandes called on the university to abandon the proposal and instead relocate the full College of Education to the St. Petersburg campus, the Crow’s Nest reports.

Who will lead FSU? Four national firms have applied to lead the search, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

Don’t miss a story. Here’s the link to yesterday’s roundup.

Before you go ... Here comes the rain again.