The proposal (SB 1300) would change the review process for books and other learning materials, adding requirements and making it more open to the public but also enabling regular purges of book lists to align them with standards or if the books are considered out of date.
Schools
Embry-Riddle Awarded $3,875,000 for Cybersecurity Scholarships for Students
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University this week joined a national effort to build aviation and aerospace cybersecurity after being selected by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to receive $3,875,000 that will be awarded in scholarships to students in cybersecurity programs over the next five years.
Jacob Oliva, Still a Flagler Resident, Is One of Three Finalists for Miami-Dade Superintendent
Jacob Oliva, senior chancellor of education and a former superintendent of Flagler County schools, is one of three finalists for superintendent in Miami-Dade, the nation’s fourth-largest district. The nine-member Miami-Dade school board will interview him for the job, along with two other candidates, on Monday.
Federal Judge Slams UF Over Muzzling Professors: ‘Stop Acting Like Your Contemporaries in Hong Kong’
In a scathing ruling Friday, Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker blocked the University of Florida from enforcing a controversial conflict-of-interest policy that gave school administrators discretion over allowing professors to serve as expert witnesses in litigation.
FPC’s Jim Gambone, a Math Teacher, and Nutrition Manager Judy Gallo are Flagler Schools’ Employees of the Year
Jim Gambone, a math teacher at Flagler-Palm Coast High School is this year’s Teacher of the Year in the district, and Judy Gallo, an area manager for Food and Nutrition Services, is the Flagler Schools Employee of the Year.
House GOP Wants Lower School Board Salaries and Higher Scrutiny of Library Books
The proposal (HB 1467) approved by the House Education & Employment Committee in a 13-7 vote Thursday would require schools to post information about the selection of books and instructional materials on their websites.
Flagler School District Library Plan: Parents May Ban Books for Their Own Kids, But Not Others
Book bans may be a thing of the past in Flagler County schools as the district today presented a library opt-out provision for prohibitive parents, while leaving access free to all books for all other students. The approach, as draconianly restrictive for those who want to exercise it and as liberal as a university library’s open-stack policy for the freer-minded could, in effect, make even book challenges moot.
Federal Judge Ridicules UF Attorney’s Attempt to Smear Professors in Conflict-of-Interest Battle
In a fiery hearing Friday, a federal judge excoriated a lawyer for the University of Florida who accused political science professors of having “misled” the court in a lawsuit challenging the school’s conflict-of-interest policy.
2 Pedestrian Bridges on Rymfire Drive Will Be Fixed Over the Next Few Weeks
The City of Palm Coast will make repairs to the Rymfire Drive Parkway pedestrian bridges due to deterioration. These bridges are part of the pedestrian walkway near Rymfire Elementary School. The repairs will begin on Monday, January 10 and the completion is expected to take four to five weeks.
Flagler District Rescinds Letter of Reprimand in Case of Wadsworth Teacher Who Told Story About ‘Black Boy’
The Flagler County school district has rescinded a letter of reprimand to Wadsworth Elementary teacher Stacey Smith after Smith appealed the penalty. It had resulted from Smith telling her fifth grade students during Math class about an experience she had with “a beautiful Black boy” or “poor little Black boy” while teaching in Chicago at the beginning of her career.