Civil rights groups urge U.S. Education Secretary DeVos to reject Florida’s latest accountability plan

After several delays, the Florida Department of Education submitted its revised Every Student Succeeds Act plan to the federal government in mid April.  Some civil rights group leaders want U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to do to the second version what she did to the first — reject it as noncompliant with federal law. Read…

Why won’t local governments fund extra school security? Look to a memo

It’s not a secret: Florida’s school districts are struggling to find enough money to place armed security on each campus, as now required by law.  What is new lately is many local governments have begun saying they will not help out with their law enforcement departments. In the past few days, both the Pinellas and…

In Florida, school districts take different safety paths

Unwilling to turn school staff into gun-packing “guardians,” some officials across Florida are turning to a controversial alternative to meet the demands of a state law approved after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.The Duval County School Board has became the second in two weeks to approve hiring and training dozens of new,…

‘Civic literacy’ amendment is a poison pill voters shouldn’t swallow | Editorial

Nobody cares more about civics education and involvement than former Florida Governor Bob Graham does.  He’s the author of a book on the subject and the founder of a center for public service at the University of Florida. He knows it’s an important issue that needs more attention in our schools. Abundant studies show that…

State Supreme Court accepts 2009 school funding case

Nearly a decade after some Florida parents first argued the state Legislature does not adequately fund public education as the constitution requires, the Florida Supreme Court has agreed to take up the question.  In a 4-1 ruling issued late Monday, the court accepted jurisdiction of the Citizens for Strong Schools case. It gave the plaintiffs until May…

After Parkland, numbers of children hospitalized for mental health care jumped

On the day after the Parkland school shooting, children across Florida were brought to hospitals by police or other authorities to undergo emergency mental health exams — an unusually high number that kept climbing in the days that followed.  On Feb. 27, about two weeks after the Valentine’s Day massacre, 195 children across Florida were…

Constitution Revision Commission attacks public schools, ignores public good | Editorial

The Constitution Revision Commission concluded its agenda last week having squandered most of its rare and precious opportunity. It deserves a harsh judgment from the public in November. The eight amendments it voted to put on the ballot are a mishmash of the good, the bad, and the unnecessary, mostly packaged in ways that deny…

Florida submits revised Every Student Succeeds Act plan

The Florida Department of Education sent in its revised federal school accountability plan Monday, months after the U.S. Education department said multiple revisions were needed.  In its updated version, the state said it had filed for a waiver of certain testing rules for middle school students in science and math, so they do not have to…

Monday Lead Letter: Florida voters should reject amendment on schools

The Florida Constitution Revision Commission has voted to approve ballot language for changes to Article IX of our constitution, relating to public, K-12 education.  Duval voters have good reasons to reject the proposal. Read More

Leon County judge rejects challenge to controversial Florida charter school law

Rejecting arguments of school boards across the state, a Leon County circuit judge this week formally rejected a challenge to a controversial 2017 law that included a series of moves to boost charter schools.  Circuit Judge John Cooper, who had earlier indicated he would turn down the challenge, issued an 18-page ruling Tuesday siding with…