A trip to the water fountain after lunch or recess may seem innocuous for students. But Florida legislators are concerned with what may be in the water. A bill introduced by Sens. Janet Cruz, Lauren Book and Annette Taddeo would require public schools to filter drinking water at the source on campuses built before 1986. The filters would…
The State Board of Education had its first and only meeting before the Legislative session begins in March and the board members indicated that they hope lawmakers revisit some of the most heated issues in education. School safety was constantly mentioned as a top priority for this year, by all members but especially by Andrew…
With the annual legislative session nearing, lawmakers and education leaders likely will have to grapple with the fallout of Hurricane Michael on Northwest Florida school districts and continued questions about how to bolster school safety throughout the state. Those issues drew discussion Wednesday during a State Board of Education meeting in Pensacola that also included…
This issue of the Session Spotlight provides highlights of events during the past week including activities and meetings during Legislative Interim Committee Meeting Week 2, information about the online Review of the Report of the Marjory Stoneman Douglass Public Safety Commission conducted by Commission member and Citrus County School Board member Doug Dodd, and other…
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission on Wednesday released its long-awaited findings and recommendations in the aftermath of the Feb. 14 Parkland high school shooting — including a call to allow some teachers to carry weapons on campus. Read More Read Initial Report
Another idea meant to protect students, designated “hard corners” or safe areas in a classroom in the event of a school shooting, could soon show up statewide. It’s an idea the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission is considering as a recommendation to the state, to better protect students. Read More
A panel created by President Donald Trump to help prevent future school shootings called Tuesday for getting rid of Obama administration guidance aimed at making sure students of color and students with disabilities aren’t disciplined more harshly than their peers. U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who leads the Federal Commission on School Safety, said…
As we approach the start of the 2019 Legislative Session on March 5, 2019, FSBA will be working to keep our members well informed of the activities of the Florida Legislature and related events in Tallahassee. Our main tools for accomplishing this are this Session Spotlight blog and our Legislative Session page. In addition, we…
After two hours of discussion Thursday, Kim McDougal was enthusiastic. “It’s a great day,” the former chief of staff and top education adviser to Gov. Rick Scott told colleagues attending Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis’ education transition team meeting. “We’re moving from school choice to informed, high quality school choice,” she said. Read More
The commission investigating Florida’s Parkland shooting recommended Wednesday that trained and willing educators be allowed to carry guns in schools, reigniting a debate about an idea President Donald Trump had embraced earlier this year.Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, chairman of the high-profile commission, suggested the idea late Wednesday as the panel worked to finalize a…