Around the state: A bill has been proposed for the legislative session that would require teachers to take an oath to the Constitution and nonpartisanship before they start the job, Pasco teachers are upset with the district’s proposed health insurance plan, a Leon County School Board member wants the district to consider closing some schools to save money, 744 state K-12 schools have been named schools of excellence, and three Highlands County schools could soon be growing coffee plants. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Broward: Eighty-eight district schools are getting upgraded security camera coverage after a recent safety assessment found deficiencies. That work is expected to be done by June 2026, and other findings and recommendations from the report will be discussed at today’s school board meeting. WLRN.
Duval: District officials say they are investigating an allegation that an 11-year-old Landmark Middle School student was attacked and beaten by more than 10 football teammates in the locker room. The grandmother of the victim says the players were left unsupervised. WJXT.
Polk: A school district principal talks about the ways education and students have changed in the past 35 years, what motivates students, what makes a great teacher, and what she would change if she had a magic wand. Lakeland Ledger.
Lee: District officials are asking the public for name suggestions for two schools that are under construction. One is a high school that can take up to 2,000 students when it opens in August 2027. The other is a 1,000-student elementary school that will open next August at a temporary portable campus behind Lehigh Senior High before the new building is ready in August 2028. Online suggestions for both will be taken until 5 p.m. Oct. 24. WINK. Lee County School District.
Pasco: Changes are coming for the school district’s health insurance plan, and some employees say the proposals may push them to consider a new profession. District officials, facing a $21 million deficit in the program, will charge employees for insurance for the first time, and offer just one plan, an HMO, instead of the three it had last year. “From a personal perspective, I am livid,” said Rachel Miller, a teacher at Krinn Technical High School. The ratification vote on the proposed contract by teachers is scheduled at the end of the month. Tampa Bay Times.
Brevard: A teaching assistant at Pineapple Cove Academy in West Melbourne has been arrested and accused of aggravated child abuse. Deputies said Shona Little, 26, twisted a 3-year-old student’s arm, fracturing her elbow and spraining her wrist. Little was fired, school officials said. WESH.
Volusia: A welding technology program was officially opened last week at Deltona High School. Students in the program can also take dual-enrollment classes at Daytona State College that can lead to certifications. WFTV.
Sarasota: School officials are considering a series of changes in the policy governing the use of artificial intelligence in the district after Superintendent Terry Connor said additional guidelines are needed. Among the changes: restricting student use of AI to brainstorming and feedback and only with a teacher’s permission, and not permitting teachers to use AI as the sole detector of cheating. Charlotte Sun.
Leon: School board member Alva Smith is proposing that district officials begin preparing a plan to close some underenrolled schools to save money that can then be redirected to higher teacher pay. “This is real. Our numbers are dwindling, and our revenue is dwindling, and we can’t just keep talking about it, we’ve actually got to do something,” she said Monday. Tallahassee Democrat. High school arrests were up 38.3% during the 2024-2025 school year compared to the previous one, according to a sheriff’s report. Sixty-five arrests were reported at the five major high schools. The report documents 65 arrests in the five major Leon County high schools, with 36 of them at Leon High, a 111.8% year-to-year increase. Rickards was next with 17 arrests, a jump of 21.4%. Godby, Chiles and Lincoln each reported one fewer arrest than the previous year. Tallahassee Reports.
Sumter: Nine of the 10 school districts in central Florida are reporting enrollment declines this year. Only Sumter is bucking the trend, with 375 more students this year than last. Superintendent Logan Brown attributes the increase to a population boom around The Villages, new school programs and leadership training for older students. Central Florida Public Media.
Highlands: Avon Park, Sebring and Lake Placid high schools could soon have coffee plants growing on their campuses. Representatives from the district, University of Florida, Highlands County Economic Development and owners of Strangely Warmed Coffee Roasters in Sebring recently toured the schools to discuss the viability of coffee farming. Each school would dedicate at least a quarter of an acre, and students would compete to outdo one another on production. Highlands News-Sun.
In the Legislature: Teachers would be required to take an oath to the Constitution and nonpartisanship “before entering upon the duties of a classroom teacher” under a bill filed Monday for the 60-day legislative session that begins Jan. 13. Language similar to the oaths used for lawyers, doctors and public officials would be used. It was filed by state Rep. Tom Fabricio, R-Miami Lakes. Florida Phoenix. A bill that would have placed restrictions on college campus speech, political organizing, campaigning and other political activities was withdrawn less than a week after it was filed in the Florida House. HB 49 was filed by state Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, R-Highland Beach, who did not say why she withdrew the bill, but a group that opposed it said its campaign generated more than 1,000 calls from the representative’s constituents. FSView.
Schools of excellence: Nearly 750 K-12 schools earned the schools of excellence distinction from the Florida Department of Education for the 2024-2025 school year, the DOE recently announced. Schools must rank in at least the 80th percentile for academic performance to qualify. Florida Department of Education.
Around the nation: A survey of K-12 schools nationwide suggests most of the districts that are good at teaching math by the 8th grade are also good at teaching reading proficiency by 3rd grade. More than 150 districts were surveyed, and 140 of them produced strong results across subjects and grade levels. Fourteen were exceptional in one subject but underperformed expectations in the other, and it was the reading results that lagged in 12 of those districts. The 74.
Opinions on schools: If Florida wants to significantly improve math learning at the middle and high school levels, it must recruit individuals with stronger math skills into the teaching profession. Paul Cottle, Bridge to Tomorrow.
