Florida School Boards Association
“It is not the critic who counts … the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena … who strives valiantly…” Theodore Roosevelt It takes considerable initiative for citizens to respectfully yet boldly confront lawmakers. It takes courageous leadership for legislators to admit and correct costly blunders. But that’s what happened last…
TALLAHASSEE — Four years after championing a law that inadvertently made sexting an unenforceable crime in Florida, a state senator is pushing to close that loophole. The Legislature in 2011 set out to update out-of-date statutes to address minors who send nude photos to other minors. “Unfortunately it was not written in the proper posture,”…
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. Florida legislators on Friday endorsed a line of changes for the state’s public schools, including easing class size penalties for school districts and encouraging students to start wearing uniforms. The Florida House passed several education bills, including one that would let privately-run but publicly-funded charter schools tap into local property taxes to pay…
A movement by parents to boycott or “opt out” of the new state assessments is small but growing, organizers say, especially on Florida’s First Coast. About 3,000 people have joined “opt out” groups around the state, said Sandy Stenoff, a parent who founded Opt Out Orlando, the oldest of the groups with 2,962 members. It…
After lengthy, sometimes confusing debate Wednesday over Florida’s testing and its consequences, the state Senate Appropriations Committee adopted a proposal that would change the rules relating to third-grade retention. Reports quickly emerged that the state where likely presidential candidate Jeb Bush launched third-grade retentions based on reading test performance was about to suspend the practice.…
TALLAHASSEE — A bill that would allow parents more freedom to choose where their children go to school overwhelmingly was approved Tuesday by a House panel, even as some critics and educators worried the legislation is moving too quickly. The measure (HB 1145), sponsored by Rep. Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, was approved by the House…
ALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) – A bill making its way through the Florida Legislature aims to lessen the restrictions currently put on student athletes who transfer schools. The “Extracurricular Activities Bill” (SB 1480) would make it easier for high school athletes to continue in their sport once they transfer schools. “If a student transfers…
Florida may allow third grade students to advance to the fourth grade, even if they perform poorly on statewide standardized tests. Read full article
A conservative Florida senator with a flair for headline-grabbing proposals could generate lots of support in the anti-testing sector with his latest recommendation. Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, has filed an amendment to the Senate’s major testing reform bill (SB 616) that goes to its final committee stop on Thursday, with availability Wednesday. His objective: To end…
With two weeks of computerized writing tests in the rearview mirror, Florida’s superintendents are taking a closer look at what went wrong — and what it means. They’re more concerned than ever that the results will be tainted. In a draft document circulating through district offices, the Florida Association for District School Superintendents raises six…