Campus parking comes at a premium at UF, especially for football players

The big story: Let’s talk campus parking.

Over the past three years, the University of Florida has issued more than $4 million in parking tickets. They’re usually $35 fines for parking in a spot a student hasn’t paid to use.

Gators football players are among the many UF students who have racked up large bills — one had more than 100 tickets since 2019, totaling more than $5,500 in penalties.

How did the team respond? It secured a special parking lot for the players, something not available to other students. The NCAA allows it, Fresh Take Florida reports. Read the full story for more details.

Hot topics

Math textbooks: Information about why the Department of Education rejected several math books remains elusive, Florida Phoenix reports. • The same is true about why it moved some titles to the approved list, the Orlando Sentinel reports. • The Bay County school district moved ahead with its textbook adoption, saying all it chose were on the state approved list, the Panama City News Herald reports.

Gender issues: A Miami teacher who was threatened with losing her job over discussing student gender identity escaped that fate, the Sun-Sentinel reports. • A Flagler County high school student who led statewide opposition to Florida’s new law relating to instruction about gender identity is receiving a “courage” award from PEN America for his efforts, the Associated Press reports.

School board elections: Veteran Miami-Dade County School Board member Perla Tabares Hantman announced she will not seek another term, the Miami Herald reports. She has been on the board since 1996.

Superintendent turnover: Volusia County’s interim superintendent will see her salary nearly doubled while in her new post, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.

Charter schools: IDEA, one of the fastest growing charter companies in the nation, broke ground on the first of two planned Duval County schools, WJXT reports.

Classroom technology: The Hernando County school district announced plans to provide every student with a laptop in the fall, WFTS reports.

Other school news

Pasco County has high school teaching academies to prepare students for work in schools. Seventeen students from River Ridge High participated in a signing ceremony offering them jobs in the district after they finish college, WFTS reports.

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The St. Johns County school district has been struggling to find a school rezoning plan that’s acceptable to the public. It has a couple of options up for consideration on May 9, the St. Augustine Record reports.

Palm Beach County is seeing increasing homelessness among students as housing prices rise. The county and school district are collaborating to provide stability and services to the students, WPTV reports.

The Leon County School Board had been wavering on whether to give money to a new Council on the Status of Men and Boys. After weeks of debate, it agreed to give the group $70,000, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

The Florida Prepaid College Board offered a new incentive for families to sign up their children. It’s worth up to $500, and available through Saturday, WUSF reports.

From the court docket ... The judge in the Parkland school shooter sentencing case overturned her own decision regarding jury selection, causing confusion in the court, the Associated Press reports.

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

Before you go ... Okay, marching band fans. Any chance we might see something like this locally?

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