FSBA Session Spotlight — October 30, 2017

The Legislature held the second round of Interim Committee Meetings last week. Please click on the file below to access our report on the bills and presentations that were considered.  In addition, please click on the files below for information and updates on this week’s Constitution Revision Commission Committee meetings, recent action in Washington on…

FSBA Session Spotlight — October 23, 2017

The Legislature will hold a second round of Interim Committee Meetings this week in preparation of the upcoming 2018 Legislative Session. Please click on the file below to access the full schedule of meetings and information on the bills, and presentations that will be considered.  In addition, we have provided links to information about the State Board…

DeVos rescinds 72 guidance documents outlining rights for disabled students

The Education Department has rescinded 72 policy documents that outline the rights of students with disabilities as part of the Trump administration’s effort to eliminate regulations it deems superfluous.  The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services wrote in a newsletter Friday that it had “a total of 72 guidance documents that have been rescinded due to…

Is a Florida charter school a public school, or not?

Florida lawmakers have taken great pains to include charter schools in the pantheon of the state’s public education system.  But the state Ethics Commission saw things a bit differently in a draft advisory opinion offered to a Lake Wales city commissioner who also serves as legal counsel to the Lake Wales charter school system. Read…

Schools Without Rules (3 Part Series)

Private schools in Florida will collect nearly $1 billion in state-backed scholarships this year through a system so weakly regulated that some schools hire teachers without college degrees, hold classes in aging strip malls and falsify fire-safety and health records. Read More — Part 1 Read More — Part 2 Read More — Part 3

Florida school districts file formal challenge to constitutionality of HB 7069

Just to get it on the record here, thirteen Florida school boards including Pinellas County filed suit Monday in Leon County court, challenging the constitutionality of several provisions within the law created by HB 7069. The lawsuit comes as no surprise.  Speculation ran rampant that such a legal battle would emerge from almost the moment after the…

FSBA Session Spotlight — October 16, 2017

The Legislature held the first round of Interim Committee Meetings last week in preparation of the upcoming 2018 Legislative Session.  Please click on the file below to access our report on the bills and presentations that were considered.  In addition, please click on the other files listed below for a few quick updates on items of interest.…

Some want to change Florida education — by amending the state Constitution

One Floridian wants the Bible and prayer in the state’s public schools. Another seeks to prevent state funds from going to any institution that promotes religion.   One resident calls for all school district superintendents to be appointed, while another says they should all be elected. A third would do away with the job altogether.  These…

CRC panel focused on constitutional rights starts narrowing focus

A Constitution Revision Commission panel tasked with reviewing proposed amendments to the first article of the Florida Constitution is using a deluge of public proposals to narrow its scope for future meetings.  The commission meets every 20 years to propose constitutional changes, which must then receive 60 percent support from voters. The CRC’s Declaration of…