High school students in Florida will have to pass personal finance to graduate

The big story: Sometimes, ideas circulate through the Florida legislature at any given time. Other times, it looks like they may never cross the finish line, no matter how hard they try.

Place the order to ask students to take a personal high school finance course in the last pile.

It took several lawmakers over a decade to get this proposal from proposal to bill into law this year. And you know who couldn’t be happier?

Bankruptcy attorneys and judges, who have led lobbying efforts alongside teachers. “We would like people in Florida to learn to the point where we don’t have a job anymore,” said Catherine McEwen, a federal bankruptcy judge for the Central District of Florida. Read about that story.

Another effort that took years to prepare was to stop the use of isolation and restrictions on students with special needs that school staff had struggled to physically control. Lawmakers acted in 2021 after nearly 15 years of trying, and this year they scaled back the use of restrictions, as Florida Politics reports.

important topics

school books: Governor Ron DeSantis signed a measure adding more steps for schools to follow when selecting books for classrooms and libraries. The law also set term limits for school board members, starting with those elected in November 2022. Critics had concerns about both parts of the legislation. more of Tallahassee Democrat.

sex lessons: State Senator Shiffrin Jones, an openly gay lawmaker, said Florida could lose teachers if DeSantis signs a bill restricting lessons about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, Florida Phoenix reports. • Many LGBTQ youth continue to speak out against the legislation, WUSF reports, arguing that sponsors are trying to downplay the potential impact. • The bill was the target of jokes at the Oscars Sunday night, according to the Associated Press.

Board Relationships: Flagler County Principal Kathy Mittelstadt has asked school board members to stick to the policy and leave the day-to-day operations of its management, Flagler Live reports. She referred to the actions of two members of the Board of Directors in particular.

race relations: The Lee County chapter of the NAACP wants to work with school officials to promote unity and discipline students who engage in racist acts, Fort Myers News Press reports. A recent incident at Cypress Lake High School sparked discussion.

Other school news

The University of South Florida has a new research center worth $42 million. Still waiting for tenants.

Len Wilson, a member of the Polk County School Board, will not be seeking a third term. Some residents encouraged him to run again Arbitrage reports.

Duval County students’ reading achievement has declined over the years. Several groups launched a community-wide reading initiative to bring about transformation, and Florida Times Union reports.

The Palm Beach County School District will relocate a school bus stop away from the scene of a fatal accident. A student died in the accident, another was left in critical condition, and Palm Beach Post reports.

The University of Florida Gulf Coast has four new trustees. One of them is school choice advocate Erica Donalds, wife of US Representative Byron Donalds and former Collier County School Board member, Florida Politics reports.

From the police blotter… A Lee County Middle School student has been arrested for threatening violence against the school, WFTX reports. • A Volusia County teen faces criminal charges for shooting a school employee with an Orbeez pill pistol, WKMG reports.

before you go … Time for a fun animal video!

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