Six things to know about the U.S. Census and Florida

Census Tract 119.04 in Hillsborough County constitutes a perfect rectangle in a densely populated section of West Tampa just north of Al Lopez Park . . . . The Census Bureau defines a tract as “hard to count” if 73% or fewer residents return their Census questionnaires. In the 2010 Census, the mail-back rate for…

Indian River County School Board passes a resolution to target growing vaping concerns

The Indian River County School Board passed a resolution Tuesday night addressing vaping concerns for children and teenagers.  School board members say they are the first in the state to pass a resolution that declares their support behind laws that limit the access and marketing of e-cigarettes to young people. They also want to educate students,…

FSBA Session Spotlight — September 16, 2019

This week, the Legislature will hold the first of six weeks of Interim Committee Meetings in preparation for the regular 2020 Legislative Session on January 14, 2020.  This first round of meetings will focus on a review of the state’s financial outlook and the Legislative Budget Requests (LBRs) submitted by state agencies, updates on the…

Florida Senate eyes guardian training tweak

Senate President Bill Galvano on Wednesday threw his support behind revising a state law that governs training for school guardians, after a dispute between Palm Beach County schools and a private security firm ended up in court.Galvano said he wants the Senate to work on “clarifying” a school safety law, which outlines the training requirements…

Legislators ask 50-plus firms to explain how they use the ‘vast amount of data’ they collect on students

A year ago, the FBI issued a warning that the rapid expansion of education technology in America’s schools and the collection of student data could “present unique exploitation opportunities for criminals.” Now, U.S. lawmakers are demanding that more than 50 education technology companies and data collectors explain what information they collect and how it is…

FSBA Session Spotlight — August 21, 2019

FSBA 2020 Platform Development The FSBA PROPOSED 2020 Legislative and Federal Platforms are available HERE along with related information.  Please be sure to review these PROPOSED Platforms and share any comments or concerns you may have with your district’s representative on the FSBA Legislative Committee.  There will also be an online Q&A session on Friday,…

Join the School Breakfast Challenge

When children are hungry, it’s harder for them to succeed. And for too many kids, school meals are the only meals they can count on. That’s why we’re launching the #SchoolBreakfast Challenge with @FloridaMilk & @nokidhungry to ensure no child starts the day on an empty stomach. pic.twitter.com/SUiMJD6FcD — Commissioner Nikki Fried (@NikkiFriedFL) August 19,…

School Boards Association looks to new ideas for 2020 legislative platform

A year ago, with school safety still high on Florida’s list of concerns, the state’s school boards association focused much of its legislative platform on increasing campus security with armed officers and hardened facilities.  Having gotten much of what it asked for, the association is looking to new ideas for the 2020 session, for which…