The big story: Students across Florida lost several hours of class time as their schools shut down for hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Once determining it was safe to resume classes, officials had another key decision ahead: How to make up the missed time, which for some children exceeded 50 hours. That’s nearly 5% of the year.
The choices included extending the school day, adding more days to the academic year and canceling vacations or parts of them.
“The driving question was constantly around, how do we make all the right moves for all the right reasons?” Pinellas County schools chief academic officer Donnika Jones said. Read more here.
Eckerd College students return to campus after a month away because of hurricanes Helene and Milton, WUSF reports. The school moved to remote online classes after evacuating.
Hot topics
Lunch lines: The University of South Florida has cut ties with its longtime cafeteria services provider. The move will affect about 400 employees. • Duval County school cafeteria workers are discussing whether to walk off the job after reaching an impasse in contract talks seeking higher wages, WTLV reports.
Referendum politics: Opponents of the Hillsborough County school district’s local-option property tax referendum have made allegations against superintendent Van Ayres in their effort to detract support for the initiative, Florida Politics reports. • A campaign to extend Escambia County’s local-option sales tax supporting construction projects has strong support, the Pensacola News-Journal reports.
Save Our School: Some Collier County residents are petitioning to prevent Bonita Springs Elementary School from being demolished, WINK reports. The school was damaged in Hurricane Irma. • Duval County residents want school district officials to consider equity, and not just the bottom line, as they prepare to shutter several schools as part of a cost-saving effort, Jacksonville Today reports.
School uses: The Highlands County school district is transforming its prekindergarten center, which sat about half vacant, to other program uses, Highlands News-Sun reports.
Union busting: A group that tried to push out United Teachers of Dade says it won’t give up despite losing its initial effort, the Miami Herald reports.
Vouchers: Both the Democrat and the Republican seeking a state House seat representing Palm Beach want more accountability for Florida’s school voucher system, Florida Phoenix reports.
From the police blotter … The principal of a Lake County high school was arrested on an allegation of driving under the influence, WESH reports. • Schools in Bonifay in Holmes County have canceled all outdoor activities during a police investigation into a nearby weekend murder, WJHG reports.
Don’t miss a story. Here’s a link to Friday’s roundup.
Before you go … What’s that? New Wallace and Gromit?
