Around the state: A Tampa charter school for the performing arts is ordered to close by the school board over security concerns, Broward’s school board votes to allow high school students to use their phones during lunch periods, a contract agreement for teachers was approved in Pinellas while talks bog down in Volusia and Citrus, and an Alachua student is stabbed in the back during school. Here are details about those stories and others from the state’s districts, private schools, and colleges and universities:
Miami-Dade: A 6th-grade U.S. history and science teacher at Palmetto Middle School in Pinecrest who has been told by the district she is under investigation for her social media posts says she still doesn’t know what posts triggered the inquiry. A letter from the district said only that a parent reported Mayade Ersoff for “posting politically charged information on social media.” Ersoff says she made no posts about murdered conservative activist Charlie Kirk, though she did share a post critical of Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas after he said he would investigate educators who criticized Kirk. Miami Herald.
Broward: District high school students may now use their cell phones during their lunch periods after the school board voted Tuesday to amend its policy. Phones will continue to be banned during the school day for elementary and middle school students. Five of the nine board members voted in favor of the change, which begins today. Sun Sentinel. WTVJ.
Hillsborough: School board members voted Tuesday to immediately close a Tampa charter school for the performing arts because of “serious security deficiencies.” Superintendent Van Ayres gave notice Friday to the Walton Academy for the Performing Arts in Seminole Heights, which has 10 days to request a hearing, and a final decision must be made within 60 days. Tampa Bay Times. WTVT. WFTS. In the three weeks since speed detection cameras went live in 20 county school zones, about 8,700 tickets have been issued, according to sheriff’s officials. Drivers are mailed tickets if the cameras detect them going 10 mph or more over the speed limit when school zone lights are flashing. WUSF. A 16-year-old Spoto High School student was arrested Tuesday and accused of having a gun and ammunition in his backpack at school. WTVT. WFTS.
Duval: District officials announced Tuesday that transportation for magnet school students will not be eliminated. Ending busing for those students was considered earlier this year as a way to save money. WJAX. Jacksonville City Council members voted 9-8 Tuesday against a resolution allowing the school board to hire its own attorney. The city charter gives the city’s Office of General Counsel the responsibility of hiring legal representation for the board. The school board decides Oct. 22 whether to pursue the issue with the legislative delegation. Jacksonville Today. WJXT. WTLV. Florida Politics. Thirteen Landmark Middle School students have been issued juvenile citations and could be charged for an attack last month on an 11-year-old football teammate in the locker room. WJXT.
Polk: School board members seem prepared to move ahead with zoning changes for the district’s high schools despite a tepid response to surveys. Only 31 people submitted their thoughts on the proposal to make changes to better balance out school enrollments. Surveys seeking feedback on recommended changes for elementary and middle schools are going out soon, and the board anticipates voting on the proposals in November or December. WFLA.
Lee: Cape Coral High School dismissed early Tuesday after persistent reports of propane gas leaks. Two school employees, one of them pregnant, were taken to a hospital for treatment. WFTX. WBBH. WINK.
Pinellas: Teachers, bus drivers and non-bargaining non-administrative staff members are getting raises after the school board approved contract agreements at Tuesday’s meeting. Teachers will get raises of 1% plus two $300 bonus payments. Combined with raises provided by a special referendum, the average pay hike will be 8.9%. Nonteachers will get 1% and two $150 bonuses plus the supplement from the referendum. Talks continue between the district and representatives for district’s police officer unions and instructional support employees. Tampa Bay Times.
Brevard: Two months into the school year, the district still has 124 open teaching jobs. Fifty-six are classroom teachers, and the rest are specialists. Brevard has the highest number of openings in the five-county area that includes Orange, Osceola, Volusia and Indian River. Brevard teachers union president Anthony Colucci cites fewer people going into the teaching career field, heavy workloads, problems with student discipline and culture wars as contributors to the shortage. Florida Today.
Volusia: A contract impasse has been declared after no deal was reached in negotiations between the district and its teachers. Teachers are asking for 2% raises, while the district is offering 1.5% plus a one-time bonus. WESH. WFTV.
St. Johns: Miami-based Mater Academy wants to move into unused space at First Coast Technical College under the Schools of Hope law, Superintendent Brennan Asplen said this week. Mater’s letter of intent won’t be considered by the district until Oct. 28, when the state’s new rules governing the new law go into effect. WJAX.
Santa Rosa: A new school lunch policy has helped shrink district students’ debt from $56,000 at the end of the last school year to $16,000 now, school officials say. Students are now limited to a $50 debt, though schools will provide an alternate lunch for those who are at the limit. WUWF.
Alachua: A Santa Fe High School student was stabbed in the back during a fight Tuesday during lunch and hospitalized with nonlife-threatening injuries, according to the Alachua Police Department. An 18-year-old student was arrested and faces a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Gainesville Sun. Mainstreet Daily News. WCJB.
Bay: Changes to policies dictating when school clubs are permitted to form are being considered by the school board. Superintendent Mark McQueen says the proposal would allow new clubs to form in August and January and standardize the rules for every school. WJHG. WMBB.
Citrus: Teachers and paraprofessionals took to the streets Tuesday to protest for higher pay after contract negotiations with the district broke down. Union officials have asked for 3% raises for teachers and “equitable” raises and an additional paid holiday for paraprofessionals. They say the district has offered $443 for teachers and nothing for paraprofessionals. Citrus County Chronicle.
Colleges and universities: University of West Florida officials have proposed to remove Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, as one of eight paid holidays for their employees. No reasons for its recommended removal was given. Trustees are expected to vote on the academic calendar at their December meeting. Pensacola News Journal. A circuit judge has temporarily blocked the transfer of 2.6 acres of downtown property owned by Miami-Dade College for the Donald J. Trump presidential library, ruling that trustees violated the Sunshine Law by giving insufficient notice about the meeting at which the vote was held. Miami Herald. Associated Press. A $3.6 million federal grant to the University of North Florida and Florida State College will be used to provide enhanced civics training for district teachers. Florida Times-Union.
In the Legislature: State Sen. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, was confirmed Tuesday as the Senate president-election for the 2027 and 2028 legislative sessions. His priority is to maintain fiscal responsibility. “I think we always should look at the way we spend taxpayers’ money,” he says. News Service of Florida. Tallahassee Democrat. Florida Phoenix. Florida Politics. Gray Florida Capital Bureau. Florida’s Voice.
Charters for special students: Florida is home to 36 charter schools that cater to students with special needs, the highest number in any state. “To me it’s what charters are supposed to be,” says Jeff Skowronek, executive director of Pepin Academies, which has three specialized charter campuses in the Tampa area. “What is a gap in traditional schools that funding and time don’t allow them to close? Let’s create an innovative way to tackle it and work with the district to be successful.” Education Next.
