Thousands of teachers & students absent amid Omicron surge

FL schools dealing with Omicron outbreak — Courtesy: Shutterstock — FamVeld Schools in Florida are reporting loads of absences among students and teachers this week, a sign that the highly transmissible Omicron variant is already interrupting the new semester. With COVID-19 cases skyrocketing throughout the Sunshine State, Gov. Ron DeSantis has pledged to keep schools

Florida’s largest school districts ease up on masks

Running at School – Face Mask: Shutterstock — Monkey Business Images ORLANDO, Fla. — Two of Florida’s largest school districts are easing up on mask requirements this week. Beginning Monday, Orange County students will not be required to wear a face mask if their parents provide a note opting them out. High school students in

Florida misses deadline to receive $2.3 billion in federal aid

U.S. Department of Education – Federal Aid – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Evgenia Parajanian Several Florida school districts are not happy and speaking up. According to a letter sent to the state Monday, Florida is the last state to submit its plans to the U.S. Department of Education that is required before more than

More than 10,000 students in Hillsborough County isolated or quarantined a week into new school year

COVID-19 Quarantine – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Halfpoint Just a week into the 2021-2022 school year, over 10,000 students and staff in the Hillsborough County Public Schools district have been either quarantined or isolated as districts throughout the entire state struggle throughout the fight against COVID-19. With more than 213,000 students, Hillsborough is the

As 2021-2022 school year kicks off, Florida continues to roll out $1,000 bonuses to teachers & principals

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis School – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by YES Market Media ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – As several Florida educators remain waiting or have received their $1,000 bonuses, Gov. Ron DeSantis made a quick stop at a school in St. Petersburg to hand-deliver checks to teachers. DeSantis was joined by Florida Department of

High COVID-19 cases call for universal masking in Florida schools

Ready to go to School – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Volurol Districts are sticking with their plans to return to in-person learning, but some school mask rules may be subject to change.  In the last week, the state of Florida has reported more than 73,000 COVID-19 infections. This is the highest number of cases

$44 million improvement grant to Florida’s lowest-performing schools

Education, Elementary School – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Syda Productions JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Wednesday that Florida’s Department of Education is granting $44 million to support 149 struggling Florida public schools. The money will be given as federal Unified School Improvement Grant funds. These funds will support initiatives for Florida’s

As statewide testing looms around the corner in Florida, superintendents are asking to limit test result implications

Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by PPstudio In late October 2020, Florida Insider covered the topic of “high-stakes” testing for college admissions and how it was affecting students at the high school level for future applications. Now, as the final stretch of the 2020-2021 school year turns the corner, standardized testing for all grade schools begins

Miami-Dade County resumes in-class learning, Broward soon to follow

Courtesy: Alberto M. Carvalho — Twitter: @MiamiSup visiting Andrea Castillo Preparatory Academy Miami-Dade County officially welcomed its first batch of students to the 2020-2021 school year Monday, Oct. 5. An estimated 22,000 students from Pre-K through first grade and ESE (Exceptional Student Education) returned to the traditional in-person learning format for the first time since

Florida Teachers Union Sues to Stop Reopening Schools in the Fall

Image by Holly Dornak from Pixabay  The Florida Education Association (FEA) has filed a lawsuit against the state of Florida and Governor Ron DeSantis, suing to delay the reopening of schools and to not allow in-person classroom teaching in the fall. The state issued an emergency order on July 6 to reopen public schools for