Florida universities continue to battle over campus free speech
The big story: The fight over academic freedom continues to embroil Florida’s colleges and universities long after state lawmakers adopted a law restricting the things instructors may say in classes and the types of programs schools may offer.
A group of professors has challenged the laws in federal court, saying the state has improperly infringed on their rights. In oral arguments on an appeal of that case, lawyers for the state argued that state university professors are free to quit if they don’t like the legislature-controlled curriculum, Florida Phoenix reports. They also said the schools may forbid criticism of the governor during classes.
Despite the court having held the law in abeyance during the lawsuit, some professors say the effect already has been felt. Schools have eliminated diversity offices and educators have altered their lessons.
“It’s very clear to me that there are some things here that we can talk about as long as they are popular with certain folks and power in the state. And that’s just not at all why I became a professor,” University of Central Florida communications professor Jennifer Sandoval said Monday. Read more here.
Hot topics
Career education: A small startup school at Mote Aquaculture Park in Sarasota is teaching students about farming fish and planting crops, WUSF reports.
Charter schools: Broward County charter schools are expected to collect $108 million from the school district after the state determined the district had shortchanged the charters in local property tax referendum revenue, the Sun-Sentinel reports.
Construction projects: The Leon County school district has launched projects aimed at creating more building equity for its southside campuses serving primarily lower-income children, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. • The Walton County school district is seeking approval of a $40 million bond for what would be the county’s first college campus, WMBB reports. • A Dixie County middle school is getting a $7 million renovation that will require students to attend classes at other county campuses during the year, WCJB reports.
Elections: The qualifying deadline for the 2024 elections passed at noon Friday, setting the field for school board and superintendent races across Florida. In the Tampa Bay area, last-minute qualifiers scrambled the field for four Hillsborough County seats, a slate of three conservative candidates aimed to “flip” the Pinellas County board majority, and one Pasco County board member was reelected without opposition while another board seat and the superintendent’s office head toward the ballot.
Employee discipline: Broward County superintendent Howard Hepburn cleared six high school employees who faced suspensions for allowing a transgender student-athlete to play on the girls volleyball team against state law, the Sun-Sentinel reports.
Research schools: University of Florida officials continue to move toward a more selective admission process for the PK Yonge Developmental Research School despite opposition from the community, MainStreet Daily News reports.
School bus safety: Five Florida school districts will begin using stop-arm cameras on their school buses to capture video of vehicles that illegally pass stopped buses, WJXT reports.
School closures: Duval County parents continue to rally against the school district’s plan to shutter several under-capacity schools as part of a cost-saving measure, WTLV reports.
Superintendents: The Hernando County School Board again selected deputy superintendent Ray Pinder to be its interim superintendent on a 3-2 vote, following additional reviews, Suncoast News reports. • Sarasota County superintendent Terry Connor won high praise from all five board members in his performance evaluation, the Herald-Tribune reports.
Vaping: Volusia County school district and law enforcement officials are seeking ways to combat student vaping in schools, WESH reports. They say students are finding ways around detectors and searches.
From the court docket ... A U.S. judge for Eastern Kentucky has blocked the Biden administration’s new Title IX rules, saying “sex” is not the same as “gender identity,” Kentucky Lantern reports. Florida has brought a similar lawsuit with three other southeastern states.
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