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Several Florida school districts give parents the ability to restrict their children's access to library books.
Florida schools let parents limit book access. Few do.
A roundup of Florida education news from around the state
Sarasota school board chairperson calls on Bridget Ziegler to resign
Sarasota County School Board member Bridget Ziegler faces mounting pressure to resign her post.
Karen Rose said she will present a resolution asking Ziegler to step down on Tuesday.
Florida higher education is in a ‘horrifying’ place, US faculty group says
Henry Reichman, of the American Association of University Professors, speaks at a news conference on Wednesday in Tallahassee. Reichman is co-chairperson of a special committee convened by the association to investigate political interference and academic freedom in Florida.
Report paints a grim picture of a system controlled by politicians. The governor’s office calls it “a hoax.”
Pasco schools try ‘something new’: 4-day weekends to limit absenteeism
The Pasco County School Board added more long weekends to the 2024-25 student calendar as a way to encourage families to make sure their children attend on school days, and vacation on days off.
Officials will encourage families to take trips when classes are not scheduled.

Latest

  1. Florida plans to cut red tape for schools. But will lawmakers add some too?
    Yesterday• Education
    State Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, holds a book containing the state education code to make a point during a meeting of the Senate Education PreK-12 Committee on Nov. 15. He said the code was more than 3 inches thick and needs to be trimmed of some restrictions on school districts.
  2. Florida schools let parents limit book access. Few do.
    Dec. 8• Education
    Several Florida school districts give parents the ability to restrict their children's access to library books.
  3. Did Florida influence changes to AP’s African American studies course?
    Dec. 7• Education
    The College Board released the final framework for its AP African American studies course, including some changes that Florida Republican officials demanded if the course were to be taught in the state. The Rev. Al Sharpton demonstrated in Tallahassee against Gov. Ron DeSantis's rejection of the course in February.
  5. Sarasota school board chairperson calls on Bridget Ziegler to resign
    Dec. 7• Education
    Sarasota County School Board member Bridget Ziegler faces mounting pressure to resign her post.
  6. Florida higher education is in a ‘horrifying’ place, US faculty group says
    Dec. 6• Education
    Henry Reichman, of the American Association of University Professors, speaks at a news conference on Wednesday in Tallahassee. Reichman is co-chairperson of a special committee convened by the association to investigate political interference and academic freedom in Florida.
  7. AP African American course updated with key changes pushed by DeSantis
    Dec. 6• Education
    Republican presidential candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a campaign event on May 31 in Salix, Iowa. The final version of the new AP African American Studies course leaves out some lessons DeSantis and the Florida Department of Education called out earlier this year.
  8. Hey, students, put your phones away. Florida schools aim to reclaim attention.
    Dec. 6• Education
    A sign is displayed inside a classroom that bans the use of electronic devices at Webb Middle School on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, in Tampa.
  9. USF football stadium opening pushed back to 2027
    Dec. 5• USF Bulls
    USF released new renderings of the university’s on-campus stadium during Tuesday's board of trustees meeting.
  10. Pasco schools try ‘something new’: 4-day weekends to limit absenteeism
    Dec. 5• Education
    The Pasco County School Board added more long weekends to the 2024-25 student calendar as a way to encourage families to make sure their children attend on school days, and vacation on days off.
  11. USF President Rhea Law gets $300K bonus as trustees cite ‘banner year’
    Dec. 5• Education
    Rhea Law, left, began 2023 with her inauguration as the University of South Florida's eighth president, a moment captured in this Jan. 19 photo. She ends the year with a $300,000 performance bonus awarded Tuesday by the university's board of trustees.
  12. USF protesters known as the ‘Tampa 5′ reach agreement, avoid trial
    Dec. 5• Education
    From left in front row, activists Chrisley Carpio, Laura Rodriguez, Lauren Pineiro and their attorney, Michelle Lambo, attend a news conference on May 17 in Tampa. Carpio, Rodriguez and Pineiro are members of a group known as the Tampa 5 who faced charges after a physical clash with USF campus police in March. They reached an agreement with prosecutors on Tuesday. Not pictured are group members Gia Davila and Jeanie Kida.
  13. When a Hillsborough middle school banned cell phones, here’s what happened
    Dec. 5• Education
    Students get out of class to take a break for lunch at Webb Middle School on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, in Tampa.
  14. USF voices support for free speech amid dispute over pro-Palestinian group
    Dec. 5• Education
    University of South Florida President Rhea Law, center, and USF board of trustees chairperson Will Weatherford, right, talk with reporters after Law was named president on March 22, 2022 in Tampa. On Tuesday, the two spoke about campus free speech controversies that have arisen since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
  15. Florida schools are for government messaging, attorney general says
    Dec. 5• Education
    Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, shown at a 2022 press conference, has argued that public schools are designed to convey a government message, not to create a forum for free expression.
  16. Does Florida’s GOP scandal impact the party’s education agenda?
    Dec. 4• Education
    Florida Party of Florida Chairman Christian Ziegler, shown at the Florida Freedom Summit in November, has said he will not resign while under investigation for a rape allegation that he denies. The case has implications for the right-leaning education agenda advanced by Ziegler's wife, a founder of Moms for Liberty.
  17. Florida schools aim to balance inclusivity, state law on LGBTQ issues
    Dec. 1• Education
    Students from Monarch High School in Coconut Creek walk out of the school building Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023 in support of a trans student who plays on the girls volleyball team. The school principal and other administrators were removed from their positions for allowing the student to participate in the activity. Florida passed a law prohibiting trans girls to play on female sports teams.
  18. Head of Florida Republican Party accused of sexual battery, under investigation
    Nov. 30• Politics
    Florida Party of Florida Chairman Christian Ziegler addresses attendees at the Republican Party of Florida Freedom Summit, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Kissimmee, Fla.
  19. Times hosts second Spotlight Tampa Bay event, with focus on education
    Nov. 30• Education
    The next Spotlight Tampa Bay panel will feature, from left: teacher union president Andrew Spar, education advocates Erika Donalds and Goliath Davis and school district administrator Monica Verra-Tirado. The group will participate in a discussion about the future of Florida public schools during a Jan. 30 event at the Tampa Theatre.
  20. Some Florida schools try to ease impact of laws aimed at LGBTQ+ students
    Nov. 30• Education
    Pinellas County Schools Superintendent Kevin Hendrick, shown at an October school board meeting, says his district aims to respect every student and employee. The district recently issued an Inclusive Schools Support Guide toward that end.
  21. Struggling to make ends meet, teachers look to leave Florida
    Nov. 30• Education
    Pinellas County English teacher Philip Belcastro is one of several Florida teachers looking to leave the state.
  22. Transgender teen who prompted Florida school shakeup had been suing for 2 years
    Nov. 29• Education
    Broward Schools Superintendent Peter Licata.
  23. Concerns rise over hostilities at Florida schools as war in Israel grows
    Nov. 29• Education
    Palestinians flee to northern Gaza as Israeli tanks block the Salah al-Din road in the central Gaza Strip on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023. Complaints about discrimination at schools have grown as the war has continued.
  24. Why are Hillsborough schools under federal scrutiny for alleged discrimination?
    Nov. 28• Education
    The Hillsborough County school district is the subject of a discrimination investigation by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, but officials aren't releasing details.
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