Florida district pushes back against charter school expansion

Florida has been one of the nation’s most charter school friendly states, and Hillsborough County has reliably been one of the state’s most charter-welcoming school districts. Until now, that is. Read on for the latest on that story and more Florida education news.

Deviating from past practice, the Hillsborough School Board this week denied six charter applications. “If we stop five or six charters from coming here, we’re saving the district millions and millions of dollars,” board member Nadia Combs said before the votes.

Coronavirus concerns

Florida third graders got their state reading test scores last week. The “Covid slide” wasn’t as evident as many predicted.

Balancing school, the pandemic and life hasn’t been easy. Migrant students and their families share their stories of how they made ends meet, the USA Today Florida Network reports.

No more masks? Some Leon County parents asked the school district to reconsider ending its requirement, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. • The Charlotte County school district became the latest to lift its mask mandate, the Charlotte Sun reports.

Hot topics

Critical race theory: Texas joined Florida and other states in banning the approach to teaching about race in U.S. history, Spectrum 1 reports.

Transgender student rights: Never mind the state law. Broward County schools are casting their support behind transgender student athletes, the Sun-Sentinel reports. • The Biden administration announced new federal protections for transgender students, the Associated Press reports.

Yearbooks: A St. Johns County high school offered to reprint yearbooks after a photo editing scandal. Only 25 people requested a new one, WJXT reports.

School board seats: The Alachua County School Board proposed redrawing its districts to accommodate a member whose home is outside the district she was elected to represent. Critics quickly panned the idea, the Gainesville Sun reports.

School news

How inventive. The University of South Florida and the University of Florida stand among the top 15 schools nationally for earning patents.

Help wanted. The Seminole County school district has a bus driver shortage, WKMG reports.

Decisions, decisions. The Clay County School Board is considering whether to build a new school or expand an existing one to deal with campus crowding, Clay Today reports.

The Palm Beach County school district is building a new elementary school. A partnership with the City of Boca Raton is making the project possible, WPTV reports.

Miami Lakes often floods. Four Miami Lakes Middle School students have been working on a solution with the city as part of a class project, the Miami Herald reports.

Turf in a high school football stadium isn’t a new concept. Rickards High in Tallahassee aimed to be a little different by making its field blue, WTXL reports.

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Before you go ... It’s time for the European soccer championship, and what would it be without Cristiano Ronaldo (who scored his tournament record 11th goal, by the way)? Enjoy.