Religious imagery infuses DeSantis education talking points

The big story: In his effort to court conservatives, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has increasingly used biblical references that invoke images of warfare.

DeSantis and his supporters have portrayed their efforts as a battle between good and evil.

And schools have become a central focus for much of the debate. Read more here.

DeSantis lately has taken his message on the road as he encourages followers to beat the “elites,” The 74 reports.

Hot topics

School boundaries: Hillsborough County school district officials are exploring whether to redraw attendance zones to balance enrollments. Parents say they aren’t interested in major changes.

Sex education: The Duval County School Board has delayed adopting sex education materials amid concerns it may not meet new state requirements, WJXT reports.

Gender lessons: Plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging Florida’s new law on how gender identity is taught have asked the court to lift a stay on their ability to seek information from the state defendants, the News Service of Florida reports.

Getting there: Some Pasco County parents are calling on school and county officials to provide safer ways for children to walk to school after courtesy bus rides were eliminated for thousands, Bay News 9 reports.

Teacher pay: A newly approved agreement increases base teacher pay in Duval County to $48,700, the Florida Times-Union reports. The deal affects thousands of teachers because the first several years on the pay scale is the base.

Budgets: The Palm Beach County School Board approved a budget that has a decreased property tax rate and an increase in revenue, the Palm Beach Post reports.

Other school news

A Leon County elementary school joined the ranks of magnets. It will feed into the district’s International Baccalaureate programs, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

The Board of Governors aims to bolster its nursing programs. Lawmakers put millions of dollars toward the initiative, which is being touted as a workforce issue, Health News Florida reports.

Some Osceola County students had a science experiment on the latest Blue Origins space mission. The project suffered an “anomaly” that doomed all the payloads on board, WKMG reports.

The Miami-Dade County School Board has refused to allow students to attend Pulitzer-winning play by a gay playwright. Students have attended the performance in past years. District officials aren’t explaining the change in position, Miami Herald columnist Fabiola Santiago writes.

The Broward County School Board might stop paying the legal bills of suspended members. Some of the money has gone toward attempts to prevent publication of a scathing grand jury report, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

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From the police blotter ... Gulf County School Board chairman Dennis McGlon was arrested on allegations of stalking, the Port St. Joe Star reports.

From the court docket ... A former Palm Beach County teacher was sentenced to three years in prison for coercing a minor student to have sex in a school closet, the Palm Beach Post reports. • An Escambia County mother accused of accessing student records to help her daughter win homecoming queen pleaded no contest to one of four charges against her, WEAR reports.

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

Before you go ... This is from nearly 50 years ago. And it’s still great.

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