The big story: Gov. Ron DeSantis took the oath of office for a second four-year term on Wednesday.And he spent a lot of time in his speech talking about the need to keep purging “woke” viewpoints out of the schools and the rest of Florida society. From his comments (as written):“Florida is #1 in education freedom. And we rank #1 in parental involvement in education. Florida also ranks #1 in public higher education. This is a record we can all be proud of. And we are far from done. ... We must ensure school systems are responsive to parents and to students, not partisan interest groups, and we must ensure that our institutions of higher learning are focused on academic excellence and the pursuit of truth, not the imposition of trendy ideology.”His critics blasted DeSantis of being out of touch and out of new ideas. Read more here . Gender issues: The Pasco County school district changed its rules on transgender students’ access to restrooms and locker rooms just days after a federal appeals court ruling on the the issue. • The ruling could affect lawsuits relating to transgender student participation in school athletics , the News Service of Florida reports. Race matters: Amid Florida’s debate over “critical race theory,” professors at some state universities have muted or canceled their courses on race and society, Pro Publica reports. Education outcomes: A new report on Florida children’s health and education shows not much progress has been made in many of the 67 counties, WUSF reports. Career-technical training: Gulf County high school programs teaching students about drone technology could soon be grounded as the state bars the purchase of drones not manufactured in the United States, the Port St. Joe Star reports. Vouchers: The Florida Department of Education is considering elimination of “COVID-19 harassment” as a path toward receiving a private school voucher, the News Service of Florida reports. Board politics: DeSantis will get to make a second appointment to the Miami-Dade County School Board after the resignation of the vice chairperson, WLRN reports. The appointment is unlikely to change the board’s political landscape , the Miami Herald reports. • Some local Florida officials are suing for the right to keep their elected posts while also working as lobbyists, Orlando Weekly reports. The law in dispute is what led to the vacancy on the Miami-Dade board. From the court docket ... Civil rights activists argued that the courts should not delay changes in the city of Jacksonville’s redistricting lawsuit, which impacts some Duval County School Board seats, WJXT reports. Don’t miss a story. Here’s the link to yesterday’s roundup . Before you go ... Maybe you weren’t watching the Miley Cyrus/Dolly Parton New Year’s Eve special this past weekend. If not, you missed this “Wrecking Ball” and “I Will Always Love You” performance. Here you go. You’ll thank me later.• • •Every Thursday, get the latest updates on what’s happening in Tampa Bay area schools from Times education reporter Jeffrey S. Solochek. Click here to sign up.