Leave school recess alone, Florida moms tell state lawmakers

The big story: Florida’s “recess moms” are back to lobbying. They wish they didn’t have to be.

But a proposal in the state Senate calls for changes to the physical education law that the parents fear would undo their 2017 effort to get 20 minutes of daily recess mandated in public elementary schools. Rather than waiting for the concept to get too far along, the moms are lobbying to kill it early.

“Only if we push back will they think, maybe it’s not a good idea,” said Orlando parent activist Marucci Guzmán. Read more here.

The Senate PreK-12 Education Committee will discuss the legislation when it meets at 2 p.m.

Hot topics

Board leadership: Veteran Pinellas School Board member Carol Cook said she will not seek a seventh term. The board responded by naming her vice chairperson until she leaves. • Karen Perez replaced Nadia Combs as chairperson of the Hillsborough County School Board. • The Miami-Dade School Board again selected leadership aligned with Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Miami Herald reports.

Book challenges: The Hillsborough County School Board decided to retain the graphic novel “Blankets” on the shelves at Plant High School, Bay News 9 reports. • Opposing forces faced off over book bans at a Santa Rosa County School Board meeting, as the district faces dozens of challenges, the Pensacola News-Journal reports. • The Brevard County School Board adopted two new policies governing book challenges, allowing its review committee to resume its work, Florida Today reports.

Pay raises: Sarasota County teachers and the school district reached a tentative contract agreement that includes raises and one-time supplements, the Herald-Tribune reports. • The Collier County School Board approved a contract that raises every teacher’s base pay by $4,000, WINK reports. • Support staff and the St. Johns County school district reached a tentative contract deal that adds $1.2 million to the workers’ pay, WJXT reports.

Reading lessons: South Florida parents whose children struggle with dyslexia are seeking solutions for the reading disability, which often isn’t handled in traditional schools, WPEC reports.

School closures: Broward County’s superintendent plans to tour district schools with an eye toward repurposing or closing campuses that are under-enrolled, the Miami Herald reports.

School zones: Alachua County residents raised concerns that newly proposed attendance zones will have little positive effect on campus crowding, Main Street Daily News reports.

Student discipline: Palm Beach County school district officials are seeking more discretion over whether to expel students with weapons, the Palm Beach Post reports. District records show 60 students were expelled because of weapons in the past year. • Pasco County school district officials urged parents to get involved with their children to help reduce school discipline problems, the Lutz News reports.

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Teacher turnover: Martin County school district officials are seeking solutions to their high teacher turnover, which reached 47% over the past four years, WPBF reports.

Testing: Average ACT scores have hit a 30-year low, with Florida near the bottom nationally, WFTS reports.• A new report ranking state charter schools on their student NAEP performance puts Florida 8th of 35 states and the District of Columbia, The 74 reports.

University presidents: Florida Atlantic University trustees extended the contract of interim president Stacy Volnick, whose popularity is growing as the school’s president search drags on, WLRN reports. • Florida A&M University trustees extended president Larry Robinson’s contract and gave him an 18% bonus, WFSU reports.

From the police blotter ... An Okaloosa County middle school bookkeeper is under investigation after being fired for alleged misappropriation of funds, WEAR reports.

From the court docket ... The Columbia County School Board voted to pursue legal action against a company that failed to complete a $192,000 track project, WCJB reports. • The University of Florida appealed a ruling that it must pay the legal fees of professors who sued the school, News Service of Florida reports.

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

Before you go ... Olivia Rodrigo dropped the new ballad for the “Hunger Games” prequel. What’s your hot take?

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