Senator Corey Simon Discusses Education, Apalachicola Bay

Florida Senator Corey Simon -District 3 – recently appeared on the Steve Stewart Show on Real Talk 93.3 to discuss his legislative activities and other local issues.

When asked about the Deregulation of Public Schools/Instructional, Administrative, and Support Personnel Bill that was passed in the previous legislative session, Simons noted that many of the regulations that have been put on our school system are burdensome and slow the system down, so the purpose of the bill was to lift that burden.

Additionally, he explained that one of the provisions in the bill will help students who have fallen behind before the 3^rd grade. “If we’re able to circle that this kid is having problems in kindergarten, why pass them on to the 1^st grade? … Why are we waiting until we get to the backstop in 3^rd grade before we retain these kids and get them the added support that they need?”  He continued, “And so now because of that package we are able to retain these kids at an earlier age when we see the problems occur.”

When asked about public schools citing “school choice” as a reason for the decline in student enrollment, Simons noted he disagrees with this theory. He stated “What I ultimately want is to make sure parents have a seat at the table in deciding where their kid best fits into our education system.” He explained that be believes that after the Covid pandemic “parents got a peak into the classroom and they didn’t like what they saw, and so they were looking for other alternatives.”

Lastly, Simons discussed the statement he recently issued opposing the efforts to drill for oil in Apalachicola Bay at the same time they are fighting for the revitalization of the area. Simons explained that oil drilling would take away many jobs and resources from the community. He stated, “The problem is that it’s along the Apalachicola River Basin … My concern, because, I represent those folks down the stream, is protecting the fishery that we currently have.”