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Around the state: Hillsborough voters could decide on a proposal to make the superintendent’s position an elected one instead of an appointed one, an Alachua County teacher has been placed on leave by the school district after state officials say she forced students and colleagues to address her with the term Mx. instead of Ms. or Mrs., Gov. Ron DeSantis rejects the contention that the new Schools of Hope law will harm high-performing school districts, and a proposal to convert a public elementary school into a charter goes before the Orange County School Board next week. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: Village Green Elementary School in Olympia Heights has become the first school in the state to adopt the classical education curriculum, which advocates say emphasizes critical thinking and moral character. At a ceremony Tuesday, two legislators delivered a check for $500,000 from the state to implement the curriculum. WTVJ. A social studies teacher at Miami Lakes K-8 Center has been arrested on a warrant out of Kannapolis, N.C., on multiple child sex crimes charges. Jordan Kacie Hawk, 26, has been fired, according to district officials. WPLG. WSVN. WTVJ. WCNC.
Broward: An 18-year-old student was arrested Tuesday and accused of bringing a gun onto the campus of SunEd High School of North Broward in Margate. Jaylen Lindo is charged with possession of a firearm on school property, carrying a concealed firearm, and interfering with school administration functions. WPLG.
Orange: A proposal to convert Orange Center Elementary School into a charter school through a partnership with the nonprofit Lift Orlando will go before the school board next week for a vote. If it’s approved, Orange Center would become an academy focused on science, technology, engineering and math. One middle school grade a year would be added starting in August 2027, eventually pushing enrollment from the current 440 students by another 300. Orlando Sentinel. A substitute teacher at Howard Middle School in Orlando has been arrested and charged with offenses against students by authority figures and committing an unnatural or lascivious act. Several students reported that Daniel Huerta, 27, was looking at nude photos on his phone in the classroom and touching himself. WESH. WKMG.
Duval: Construction is underway on a K-8 charter school in north Jacksonville that is expected to open in the fall of 2026 to as many as 800 students. Harbour Pointe Charter Academy will be the first charter school in the area. WJXT.
St. Johns: The mother of a Wards Creek Elementary School student says she intends to sue the school district over the way it handled an assault against her son by a classmate on a school bus ride home last Thursday. Ashleigh Sargent said the district only responded to her concerns after she made a post on Facebook over the weekend about her frustration. The 5th-grader was bloodied in the attack, though he did not require stitches. WJXT.
St. Lucie: Several teachers at a now-closed private school in Fort Pierce say they did not receive Level 2 background checks before being hired, as state law requires. Creative Learning Lab Academy closed a month ago because of financial struggles, reopened and then closed again earlier this month. WPTV.
Escambia, northwest Florida: Enrollment in the Escambia, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa school districts has declined by a combined 1,958 students since last year, according to Florida Department of Education data. Santa Rosa Superintendent Karen Barber attributes the drop to statewide school choice options and an online charter school. WEAR. For the first time in 20 years, the Escambia district is opening a new public school magnet program. The middle school scholars magnet program at Pensacola High School will prepare 7th- and 8th-graders for the International Baccalaureate program. WEAR.
Santa Rosa: District officials have declared a 6.5-acre property beside the East Bay K-8 school as “undevelopable,” and plan to sell it. “The shape of the property limits its usefulness,” says district spokeswoman Nadia Colin. “Additionally, there are some patches of wetlands in that area that basically separate it from the current footprint of the school.” The declaration has drawn the interest of Midway Water System as a potential well site. A school board decision on the declaration is expected Nov. 18. Pensacola News Journal.
Alachua: A Talbot Elementary School teacher has been placed on leave after Florida’s attorney general said she broke the law by “forcing students and faculty to address her with the prefix ‘Mx.’ instead of ‘Ms.’ or ‘Mrs’.” James Uthmeier said Mx. “is an ideologically laden term that … is unfit for a Florida educational setting,” and ordered its use in schools to be dropped immediately. Superintendent Kamela Patton complied by removing the teacher from the classroom while the district investigates the allegations, said Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas. Florida’s Voice. WCJB. Alachua Chronicle.
Martin: Three Indiantown Middle School students were taken to a hospital for treatment Wednesday after they ate THC-infused gummies. Deputies say they have identified the person who gave the gummies to the students. WPEC.
In the Legislature: Hillsborough County voters would decide if the superintendent of schools becomes an elected position instead of an appointed one under a bill that’s been proposed for the legislative session that begins Jan. 13. State Rep. Michael Owen, R-Apollo Beach, says he wants to make the superintendent more accountable to voters. If it’s filed and approved by the Legislature, it could appear on the ballot as early as next year for county voters to decide. Thirty-eight of the state’s 67 district superintendents are elected. Tampa Bay Times. Spectrum News 9. A teacher mentoring program would be established under bills filed for the session. SB 182 and HB 157 would pair experienced and highly regarded teachers with educators who have challenges in their classrooms. Mentors could receive up to $2,000 for their participation in the six-month program. Florida Politics.
Governor defends charter law: Concerns over the new Schools of Hope law that allows select charter school companies to freely move into unused space in district schools were dismissed Wednesday by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Several high-performing districts say the bill will hurt them. “I don’t think that that’s true,” DeSantis said, insisting it will help “attract charter operators in areas that are very poor performing, and one of the aspects of that was there’s excess space in the school buildings that the charter operator could use that excess space and then do a program.” Sun Sentinel.
Opinions on schools: The most laughable part of Miami Lakes Republican Tom Fabricio’s HB 147 — “Oaths of Classroom Teachers” bill — is the part that suggests teachers are the ones who need to honor the U.S. Constitution. Because I can’t think of any group of people in this state that has tried to trample that document more than GOP legislators. Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel.
