The big story: School officials across Florida are ramping up efforts to ensure they follow the letter of the law when it comes to enforcing parental rights — particularly with the state paying close attention and sometimes threatening legal action for violations.
Part of the initiative means reinforcing parents have a role to play, too.
The Brevard County school board is focusing on the issue after a protracted public debate over the use of students’ preferred names. A Brevard teacher lost her job after using one child’s requested name without parental consent.
The board, which has refused to reinstate the teacher, is set to take up a student names policy that states, in part, that parents who are OK with letting their kids be called something other than what appears on official papers must fully fill out consent forms.
Superintendent Mark Rendell told WKMG that the district has no choice but to follow the law. Read more here.
Hot topics
Budgets: Florida Education Association leaders criticized the Legislature’s final budget plan as falling short for public schooling, WLRN reports. • Three top Alachua County schools budget officials have quit their jobs, MainStreet Daily News reports. • The Marion and Union county school districts are considering staffing cuts to balance their budgets, WCJB reports.
District leadership: The school boards of neighboring Jefferson and Madison counties have agreed share administrative efforts in special education, transportation and human resources, WTXL reports.
New programs: Florida Southern College has named a founding dean for its new School of Architecture, the Ledger reports.
NIL: Florida State University trustees approved use of $22.5 million in auxiliary funds, such as parking and housing fees, to directly pay student athletes, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.
Security: The city of Port Orange has decided to provide resource officers for local middle schools, saying the effort will improve relations between students and officers, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.
University presidents: Denied the University of Florida presidency, Santa Ono has resigned his faculty spot at the University of Michigan, Inside Higher Ed reports.
From the court docket … A Hillsborough County high school teacher pleaded guilty to gun running for an international crime syndicate, WFTS reports.
Don’t miss a story. Here’s a link to yesterday’s roundup.
Before you go … John C. Reilly has gone vaudeville with his Mr. Romantic character, and now he’s got some new music. Shake and bake?