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For schools, preparing for coronavirus isn’t so easy. Plus panic alarms, plastic straws and other Florida education news.

A roundup of stories from around the state.
 
Lobbyists start to fill the fourth floor gallery between the House and Senate as session starts to consider the budget Tuesday March 10, 2020, in Tallahassee, Fla. Lawmakers still haven't come up with a plan for teacher pay raises, among other education issues, with just a few days left in session.
Lobbyists start to fill the fourth floor gallery between the House and Senate as session starts to consider the budget Tuesday March 10, 2020, in Tallahassee, Fla. Lawmakers still haven't come up with a plan for teacher pay raises, among other education issues, with just a few days left in session. [ STEVE CANNON | AP ]
Published March 11, 2020

SOUND THE ALARM: For a while there, it looked as if a proposal to require all Florida schools to have a panic alarm system wasn’t going to survive. Not that anyone thought it was a bad idea. Rather, concerns over whether a deal was being steered toward a specific vendor threatened to derail the measure. Lawmakers found a compromise.

MENTAL HEALTH: Even since the Parkland school shooting massacre, Florida educators and others have aimed to improve mental health services to students. The Hillsborough County school district is taking the idea a step further, with a new career study path.

POWER OF INCUMBENCY: Two Pasco County school district employees have challenged the sitting superintendent in the upcoming election. (Yes, Pasco still elects its superintendent.) They’re struggling to match the incumbent’s ability to raise money for their campaigns, though.

THINGS TO DO: All four Tampa Bay area school districts take spring break next week. Here are some ideas of how to spend the time.

CORONAVIRUS: School district and college officials are looking into how they might provide classes online if the virus shuts them down. The University of Central Florida already has told professors to prepare for it, WESH reports. But it’s easier said than done, Escambia County superintendent Malcolm Thomas tells WEAR. And it’s much more feasible for some schools than others, the Associated Press reports.

NOT WORTH IT: A Polk County teacher gave up her job and became tutor, despite the lesser pay. (And she wasn’t paid all that much to start.) The Ledger explains why she did it.

LET THE SUNSHINE IN: Dozens of Florida union members wore sunglasses in the state Capitol as they protested a bill that would make university presidential searches more private. They say the proposal is a political power grab, the USA Today Network reports.

HANDS OFF: State Sen. Tom Lee, a former president of the chamber, says lawmakers are getting too involved in education policy, Florida Politics reports.

NO MORE SEARCHING: St. Johns County educator Cathy Mittelstadt is Flagler County’s next schools superintendent, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports. More from Flagler Live.

BEING GREEN: Miami-Dade County school cafeterias threw out an average of 45 million plastic straws a year, WLRN reports. Guess how high the number is this year.

TAX TIME: Duval County residents keep pressure on the Jacksonville City Council to place a school sales tax referendum on the 2020 ballot, WJXT reports. They’ve been trying for close to a year. More from the Florida Times-Union.

TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT: The Broward County School Board hasn’t budged on its raise offer to teachers, even after some heated bargaining. Now teachers have to decide what to do, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? The Florida House abandons a controversial proposal to survey university students and faculty about their political beliefs, the News Service of Florida reports.

MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED: A financial website gives St. Johns County students the nod, the St. Augustine Record reports.

LET’S MAKE A DEAL: Leon County school district officials blame a software company for their student transportation meltdown the first week of classes. Will a $330,000 settlement help? The Tallahassee Democrat reports.

CONSTRUCTION PRIORITIES: Broward County school district officials consider $17 million in athletic facility renovation projects for middle and high schools, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

BAD ACTS: Four employees of a Brevard County behavior school are fired, with two arrested, for failing to report abuse at the site, WKMG reports.

TODAY: Three days to go in the Florida legislative session. Without a budget deal, which requires a 72-hour cooling off period, it looks like we’re headed to overtime. Still, the Senate convenes at 10 a.m. and the House at 10:30 a.m. to see what else they can do. Among the bills up for third reading are HB 737 on moments of silence in public schools in the Senate and SB 72 on higher education in the House.

ICYMI: Yesterday’s Florida education news roundup