Wrestler who escaped Taliban finds opportunity in Florida school
The big story: Bashir Rostami had what his high school wrestling coach thought would be a marketable season into the college ranks.
The Hillsborough Freedom High senior won all but one match all season, beating some of the state’s best and grabbing prestigious honors along the way. One minor infraction cost him big, though, derailing his chance to compete for the state championship.
Having escaped the Taliban for his opportunities in Florida, Rostami saw the bigger picture.
“I’m so happy right now,” he said. “I’m grateful because I got to the United States. I live here. I can practice, I can come to school.” Read more here.
Hot topics
Book challenges: Florida teachers are finding ways to help students access books despite challenges and restrictions, Al Jazeera reports. • The Brevard County School Board is contemplating a change to its challenged book review process that could take media specialists out of the equation, Florida Today reports. • A Flagler County School Board member proposed shrinking school libraries and relying more on public libraries for books, Flagler Live reports.
Board politics: Sarasota County School Board chairperson Bridget Ziegler is facing criticism over a social media post showing her wearing a t-shirt that says, “Real women aren’t men,” the Herald-Tribune reports. (Subscription)
School choice: The Broward County school district plans a marketing blitz as it prepares to compete for students who might seek vouchers, the Sun-Sentinel reports.
Security: Twelve Holmes County school district employees trained to carry concealed weapons on campus as guardians, WMBB reports.
Superintendents: A local chamber of commerce spread misinformation about student performance and the superintendent’s role in the days leading to the superintendent’s contract nonrenewal, Flagler Live reports.
Tallahassee action: Several education-related measures, including high school start times and higher education diversity programs, remain in play as the Legislature enters the second half of its 2023 session.
Teacher unions: Members of public employee unions are targeting House Republicans in an effort to kill legislation aimed at making it more difficult to retain union certification, Orlando Weekly reports.
Today in Tallahassee ... The House Infrastructure Strategies Committee will consider HB 657 on school zone speed limits when it meets at 2 p.m.
Other school news
Debate rages on over the Palm Beach County school district’s treatment of a principal who denied the Holocaust. School Board members complained about paying $226,000 in legal fees for a report that they say didn’t answer key questions, the Palm Beach Post reports.
An Orange County high school psychology teacher was fired over a class assignment. He asked students to write their own obituaries in advance of a campus active shooter drill, the Guardian reports.
A Leon County middle school teacher is facing charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She’s accused of organizing fights in her classroom, WCTV reports.
In higher ed
New College: In another move aimed at recasting the school’s image, interim president Richard Corcoran advised seven tenure-track faculty members to give up their tenure bids.
Florida Gulf Coast University: The school has four finalists in its second effort to find a qualified candidate to become president. All finalists dropped out of the first round, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.
University of South Florida: A USF criminology associate professor and five of her graduate students are starring in a new Hulu show about creating psychological profiles of killers, WUSF reports.
The State University System is banning TikTok from school-owned devices and networks. Students say it won’t affect them much, WUFT reports.
Lawmakers are considering restrictions on diversity programs at state colleges and universities. Critics say the move would damage the state’s higher education system, the Orlando Sentinel reports. (Subscription)
Before you go ... Terminator Snack Wars. Enough said.
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