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COVID aftermath continues to affect Florida schools

A roundup of Florida education news from around the state
 
Students walk to classes on University of Florida campus Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022 in Gainesville.
Students walk to classes on University of Florida campus Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022 in Gainesville. [ LAUREN WITTE | Special to the Times ]
Published Jan. 30, 2023

The big story: The coronavirus pandemic is largely in the rearview mirror for Florida education.

Its effects continue to impact the system.

In the latest news, lawyers for students suing to get fees returned from when state university campuses closed down filed papers to get their case heard by the state Supreme Court.

The move comes after a divided ruling from the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal. Read more here from the News Service of Florida.

Hot topics

UF leadership: Incoming University of Florida president Ben Sasse will get to pick a new provost, with the retirement of longtime chief academic officer Joe Glover.

Superintendents: Monroe County residents urged School Board members to conduct a national search to replace retiring superintendent Theresa Axford, Keys Weekly reports.

Diversity issues: Citing Florida’s new law restricting instruction on race and indoctrination, Valencia College has canceled all its training courses dealing with diversity, the Associated Press reports.

Book challenges: Some Brevard County civic groups rallied outside a local high school to protest efforts to remove about 100 books from school shelves, Spectrum 13 reports. • Duval County teachers say they were told to cover their classroom libraries during a content review, WGCU reports. • The Manatee County School Board discussed district procedures for vetting library books and reviewing challenged titles, WFTS reports.

Board politics: A Brevard County School Board member has accused the chairperson of making promises the rest of the board has not approved, Florida Today reports.

Other school news

Leon County superintendent Rocky Hanna said over the summer the district will defend teachers accused of violating state laws on what they can teach. School Board chairperson Alva Swafford Smith announced at a recent meeting that’s not going to happen, WFSU reports.

The Brevard County School Board began discussing ways to toughen student discipline. Teacher leaders asked for stricter enforcement, WKMG reports.

Miami-Dade College wanted to help high-achieving bilingual teens succeed in college. It created a dual-language program in its Honors College, WLRN reports.

Nassau County teachers have a newly ratified contract with 6% raises. The deal makes them the highest paid in their region, Florida Politics reports.

From the police blotter ... A Flagler County middle school student was arrested on allegations of threatening to shoot another student over a fight about a girl, Flagler Live reports.

Before you go ... “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” starts streaming this week. Rhianna’s got the song.

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