Since Parkland, 14 states have introduced 25 measures to arm teachers and staff. Only 1 has passed

Once again, we’re talking about arming teachers as a solution to gun violence. After a student gunned down 10 people Friday at a high school in suburban Houston, some Texas elected officials are resurrecting the idea, which has been floated by President Trump and debated across the country since the Parkland, Florida, school shooting in…

Florida Department of Education prepares rules to govern scholarships for bullied students

Families of children who have been bullied or harassed in a Florida public school soon will have access to state scholarships to attend private schools instead.  But first, the State Board of Education must set the rules for how the controversial “Hope Scholarship” program will operate.  The Department of Education has issued a draft proposal…

‘Framers’ of schools amendment seek role in court battle

Some members of the 1998 Constitution Revision Commission are seeking to file a brief in the Florida Supreme Court as part of a legal battle about whether the state is meeting its constitutional duty to provide a high-quality system of public schools.  Describing themselves as the “framers” of a 1998 ballot measure that put the…

School boards continue battle over controversial law

School boards from across the state have gone to the 1st District Court of Appeal as they continue to challenge a controversial 2017 law that includes steps to boost charter schools.  Eleven districts signed on to notices filed last week indicating they will appeal an April 17 ruling by Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper…

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…

U.S. News Reveals Rankings of Best High Schools

U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in education rankings and civic journalism, today released the 2018 edition of Best High Schools. The rankings evaluate more than 20,500 public high schools nationwide to identify schools that best serve all of their students – including historically underserved populations – and assess the degree to which…

161 Students From Across the Country Named 2018 U.S. Presidential Scholars

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos today announced the 54th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars, recognizing 161 high school seniors for their accomplishments in academics, the arts and career and technical education fields.  “I want to congratulate this year’s class of Presidential Scholars on their achievement and also thank their parents, teachers and other academic…