Age limits and waiting periods for assault weapons? Florida legislators are considering it

After visits to Parkland left them horrified at the ease with which a gunman could kill 17 people in six minutes, Florida legislators in both the House and Senate are doing something they have resisted for years: drafting legislation to limit access to semi-automatic rifles.  “We owe it to victims of families on what I…

A rattled Florida Legislature concedes it should do more to address mental health after Parkland school shooting

In the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting, Florida lawmakers vowed to push harder on an issue they acknowledged they had failed: mental health in schools.  Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, filed a mental health pilot program in schools early this year, which sets aside $40 million to connect students to community…

FSBA Session Spotlight — February 15, 2018

As we all struggle to cope with and respond to the tragic events at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School yesterday, Senate leaders have stepped up their plans to pursue funding for expanded mental health services and to “harden” schools for better security. In a press conference this afternoon, Senate President Negron outlined these plans and,…

FSBA Session Spotlight — February 14, 2018

Our hearts go out to those touched by today’s terrifying and heartbreaking shooting at one of our public high schools. We are so grateful to the heroes – law enforcement and other first responders, school personnel, and so many others — who stepped up to protect and comfort our students in this tragic situation.  Please…

Florida Senate committee tackles mental health, charter schools and “Schools of Hope”

While House Democrats continued to blast Republican efforts to recast Florida education policy, Democrats in the Senate found common ground with the opposite party Wednesday on some similar issues.  GOP leaders on the Senate PreK-12 Appropriations Committee accepted several Democrat amendments to chairwoman Kathleen Passidomo’s priority bill, SB 1434, which aims to refine and revise some…

FSBA Session Spotlight — February 12, 2018

Now that we have started the 6th week of the Legislative Session, please be sure to watch our Legislative Weekly video featuring FSBA Executive Director Andrea Messina providing some highlights of our Day in the Legislature conference and a recap of the progress on the budget and bills that were considered last week.  Today, there…

Puerto Rican Students Displaced by Storm Adjust to Mainland Schools

The flow of students from Puerto Rico has slowed in recent weeks, but mainland schools continue to take in new evacuees five months after Hurricane Maria devastated the island.  In parts of the country with large Puerto Rican communities, districts are still hiring bilingual staff, monitoring students closely for signs of trauma, reconfiguring classrooms, tinkering…

FSBA Session Spotlight — February 6-8, 2018

The FSBA Day in the Legislature Conference has been in full swing this week with more than 125 school board members and other attendees in Tallahassee to participate in legislative briefings and advocacy training, network with education leaders, and meet with legislators to discuss issues of interest to school districts. This has been a particularly…