Florida bill proposes end of in-state tuition for undocumented college students
In 2014, Florida passed a law that allows undocumented students including DACA recipients to pay in-state tuition and avoid high out-of-state costs. A bill proposed by Sen. Randy Fine could repeal in-state tuition costs for undocumented students in the state. Fine says undocumented students should pursue a higher education in their place of origin and that those funds could be used elsewhere. [Source: FirstCoast News]
UF/IFAS, Florida Strawberry Industry, and Ohalo Join Forces to Combat Devastating Fungal Disease
Ohalo Genetics, Inc. has entered into a groundbreaking Development & Commercialization Agreement with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc., and the Florida Strawberry Growers Association (FSGA) to address the significant threat of neopestalotiopsis to the strawberry industry. This fungal disease, which can wipe out entire strawberry fields, has become one of the most damaging issues faced by Florida strawberry growers, affecting crop yields, increasing production costs and threatening the livelihood of farmers in a state known as the “Winter Strawberry Capital of the United States”. [Source: Ohalo Genetics]
Small Florida county makes switch to electric school buses
Dixie County is about 50 miles east of Gainesville. This month, in the county seat of Cross City, the Dixie County School District debuted its fleet of 23 new school buses — all of them electric. They all have air conditioning, too, which means they’re both cool and quiet. One of Dixie’s veteran bus drivers told a local online news publication called Main Street Daily News that she’s been driving buses for 33 years and has never before had one with air conditioning. [Source: Florida Phoenix]
Antisemitic curriculum review still underway at Florida colleges
In October, the state asked all Florida colleges and universities to review course material to identify any antisemitic content. The state says the study should single out any curriculum with keywords such as Israel, Palestine, Middle East, Zionist or Jews for further review. The review of course material at Florida colleges and universities is continuing; USF History Professor Fraser Ottanelli isn’t against the review, but says Florida should vastly expand its look at curriculum for all discriminatory content. [Source: Spectrum News]
Florida requires teaching Black history. Some don’t trust schools to do it justice
Charlene Farrington and her staff gather groups of teenagers on Saturday mornings to teach them lessons she worries that public schools won’t provide. They talk about South Florida’s Caribbean roots, the state’s dark history of lynchings, how segregation still shapes the landscape and how grassroots activists mobilized the Civil Rights Movement to upend generations of oppression. Florida students are giving up their Saturday mornings to learn about African American history at the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum in Delray Beach and in similar programs at community centers across the state. [Source: WLRN]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› State committee on graduate medical education meets for the first time, six months late
A state committee tasked with writing an annual report about medical school graduates’ training in Florida hospitals had its first meeting Thursday, but the law that created the committee required it to meet no later than July 1, 2024.
› State leaders want to elevate Florida universities in U.S. News rankings
By 2030, state university system leaders want Florida Atlantic University and the University of North Florida to be ranked in the top 100 public universities by U.S. News & World Report.
› New data system aims to prevent school violence
Versaterm will create statewide software to support Florida Harm Prevention and Threat Management Instrument for schools..
› Florida schools need to adopt policy to reduce youth smoking and advocate for tobacco education courses
Community members within the Miami-Dade Tobacco Free Workgroup are advocating for Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) to strengthen their tobacco-free policies through effective programs for students, faculty, and staff.
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