The 2022-23 K-12 school year begins in less than two months, and Florida school districts are facing teacher shortages. As of this week, Duval County Public Schools reported 529 vacancies for certified teachers, up 23 percent – nearly 100 positions — compared to the start of last school year. This year’s vacancies are almost double the number […]
The past Saturday, Florida House Representative Anna Eskamani endorsed a divisive Independence Day email message sent out by the City of Orlando. Eskamani’s approval of the message came after the City of Orlando apologized for the original message, which was critical of the United States. The original email published on July 1 – which has […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Ruling that a new Florida law placing a 15-week limit on abortions violates a privacy clause in the state Constitution, a Leon County circuit judge Thursday said he will issue a temporary injunction to block the law. Judge John Cooper, however, said his verbal ruling […]
On Thursday, Governor Ron DeSantis launched an education agenda focused on influencing local school board races in the 2022 election cycle. Titled “The DeSantis Education Agenda: Putting Students First, Protecting Parents’ Rights,” the policies focus on issues related to student success, parental rights and curriculum transparency. According to the website, “The DeSantis Education Agenda is […]
By the News Service of Florida With the backing of Senate Republican leaders, former Florida State University and NFL football player Corey Simon will try to unseat Sen. Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee, in November. Simon, who was appointed in 2020 as CEO of Volunteer Florida, filed paperwork Monday to run in Senate District 3. His candidacy […]
During a recent interview with David Rubin, Governor DeSantis explained his actions related to Disney’s opposition to the Parental Rights in Education bill. DeSantis told Rubin that early in the 2022 Florida legislative session he became aware that activists would be pushing a false narrative about the Parental Rights in Education legislation around the “Don’t Say Gay” […]
Florida’s latest third-grade reading scores report has shown only one-quarter of students are able to read proficiently. The latest numbers from the Florida Department of Education were released recently, numbers which indicate students are struggling across the state, based on their performance on the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA). The state education department defines “proficiently” as scoring a four or […]
By Ryan Dailey, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Two weeks after a deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, reignited debates about gun violence and securing schools, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Tuesday that will require mental-health “crisis intervention” training for on-campus officers. The measure also will make other school-safety changes, including giving […]
The Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments next week in a dispute over a 2011 state law that allows for penalties if city and county officials pass gun regulations. The hearing comes amid a ramped-up debate over gun laws due to recent mass shootings in Texas and New York. The case made it to the […]
Amid a debate by elected leaders on how to respond to the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Florida Senator Rick Scott (R) has indicated he would support a federal red flag law. Axios reported that Scott said he was “OK with supporting a federal red flag law but added that generally such laws should be up […]