FSBA Daily Updates: Legislative Session 03-31-2015

TODAY’S HAPPENINGS In the House Government Operations Appropriations Subcommittee: HB 1083 – Employment of Individuals With Disabilities by Rooney — PASSED Provides legislative findings & purpose; requires specified state agencies & organizations to develop & implement interagency cooperative agreement for certain purposes. In the Senate Community Affairs Committee: SB 1372 – Government Accountability by D.…

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Give legislators, parents credit for mitigating debacle

“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…

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Bill to make sexting law enforceable gaining traction in Legislature

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 The Legislature in 2011 set out to update out-of-date statutes to address minors who send nude photos to other minors.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,”…

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Florida House pushes school uniforms, class size changes

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…

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Congratulations to Susan Valdes, Hillsborough County, for being elected to the Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE)’s 16 member Steering Committee

NSBA’s Council of Urban Boards of Education Announces 2015-2016 Leadership March 26, 2015 Alexandria, Va. (March 26, 2015) – The National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) elected leaders and new members to its Steering Committee as part of NSBA’s 75th Annual Conference in Nashville, Tenn. Van Henri White of…

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FSBA Daily Updates: Legislative Session 03-26-2015

TODAY’S HAPPENINGS In the House Education Committee: EDC2 – Extracurricular Activities by Education – AMENDED AND SUBMITTED AS A COMMITTEE BILL Provides that special event fees, sanctioning fees, and gate receipts annually collected by FHSAA must reflect its actual cost; repeals provisions requiring FHSAA to have a board of directors, representative assembly, committees on appeals,…

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What did Florida senators do about third grade retentions?

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.…

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