Florida files suit over federal university accreditation rules
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The big story: Florida Republican lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis have pushed for a couple of years to change the way the state’s universities are accredited.
Their concerns center on actions by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools questioning decisions at Florida State and the University of Florida, threatening their accreditation if changes weren’t made.
Lawmakers passed legislation allowing schools to switch their accreditor. So far, Florida Polytechnic and the University of Central Florida have requested changes. But DeSantis said they’ve been held up, so his administration filed a federal lawsuit contending the arrangement is unconstitutional.
“We reject the idea that a totally unaccountable, appointed, unelected accrediting agency can trump what the state of Florida is doing,” DeSantis said during a news conference in Tampa. Read more here.
Hot topics
Board politics: The Madison County School Board approved new member district boundaries that align with county commissioner seats, Greene Publishing reports.
Book challenges: Miami-Dade County residents opposed to book banning and censorship pressed the School Board to make it harder to remove books from schools, the Miami Herald reports. • Santa Rosa County residents brought complaints about school books to county commissioners, who reminded them the commission does not operate the school district, WEAR reports.
Cell phones: The Orange County school district is considering banning cell phone use at schools from bell to bell, including at lunch and recess, WOFL reports.
Dress code: A Lee County high school will ban shorts and leggings for the new academic year, WFTX reports.
Hiring: The Walton County school district needs to fill an increasing number of positions as its enrollment surges, WJHG reports.
Security: The Public Employees Relations Commission has forced the Palm Beach County school district to undo 10 promotions in the district’s police department, saying they violated the school police union contract, the Palm Beach Post reports.
Student discipline: An Orange County middle school saw a sharp dip in discipline referrals after adopting mediation teams to handle behavior problems, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Superintendents: The Lee County School Board got some advice on how its role will change as the district reverts to an elected superintendent, which voters approved in 2022, the Cape Coral Breeze reports.
Tuition: A plan to increase out-of-state tuition at Florida’s public universities was postponed, with officials saying the proposal needed more work, the News Service of Florida reports.
University leaders: The Board of Governors officially confirmed Aysegul Timur as Florida Gulf Coast University’s first female president, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.
From the court docket ... The Palm Beach County school district has asked the state Supreme Court to consider a dispute over whether it must retroactively share revenue from a 2018 tax referendum with local charter schools, the News Service of Florida reports.
Don’t miss a story. Here’s a link to yesterday’s roundup.
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