Florida Board of Education to Have Emergency Meeting on Defiant School Districts

The Florida Board of Education is scheduling an emergency meeting on August 17 to discuss Alachua and Broward school districts regarding their mask mandates which go against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order banning mask mandates.

Earlier in the week, withholding salaries was a possible ramification, but after DeSantis and the Florida Department of Education slightly backtracked on the issue, their focus is now just funding cuts for the defiant districts. But, where the funding cuts come from is up to the school district.

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Deadline for Defiant Florida School Boards Is Imminent, Facing Salary Suspensions

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is giving defiant school boards and school officials why are not following his executive order banning mask mandates until Friday to comply with the order.

Specifically, Broward County Schools received a letter from the Florida Board of Education saying Broward must backtrack on their district-wide mask mandate by 5:00 p.m. Friday. DeSantis’ executive order threatened the possibility of salaries being withheld for officials or school boards who act against the order.

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DeSantis to Issue Executive Order over Masks in Florida Schools

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) held a conference Friday where he said he will be issuing an executive order “protecting the rights of parents” permitting them to make decisions about masking their children in this upcoming school year and banning school mask mandates.

“In Florida, there will be no lockdowns, there will be no school closures, there will be no restrictions and no mandates in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis feels Florida’s parents should be allowed to decide about masking issues for their own child’s safety.

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Broward County Schools Superintendent Arrested on Perjury Charge

The superintendent of the Broward County School District has been arrested and charged with perjury, according to several reports. 

“Broward County Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie was arrested Wednesday morning by Florida’s top law enforcement agency, according to records,” The Sun-Sentinel reported. “The sole charge is listed as perjury in an official proceeding.”

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DeSantis Wants Grand Jury to Look Into Broward County School Failures One Year After Shooting

by Neetu Chandak   Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday he wants a grand jury to look into possible mistakes made by Broward County Public Schools in addressing the Parkland, Florida, shooting. The grand jury would have more subpoena power and a greater scope compared to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission, which released a January 2019 report detailing the missteps during the shooting in 2018. The Florida Supreme Court will need to accept DeSantis’s petition in order for the grand jury investigation, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported. It is clear more needs to be done to keep our students safe. The statewide grand jury will consider whether refusal to follow mandates of school-related safety laws resulted in avoidable risk for students. More info on my request to the FL Supreme Court: https://t.co/qWq6jKh0ju pic.twitter.com/KHNVf7m56a — Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) February 13, 2019 The grand jury would have to look at actions of all school districts in the state, however, DeSantis was clear the move was aimed for Broward County Public Schools (BCPS), the Sun Sentinel reported. “There’s more evidence in Broward than other districts,” DeSantis said, according to the newspaper. The grand jury would examine whether: School officials…

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Broward County School Pulls Assignment Asking if Parkland Shooter Deserves to Die

by Neetu Chandak   A Broward County high school pulled an assignment that asked students whether the suspected Parkland shooter deserves to die. The assignment, “Does Nikolas Cruz Deserve to Die?,” was given to freshmen at Coral Glades High School, ABC News reported Sunday. The school is about five miles away from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where Cruz allegedly killed 17 students on Feb. 14. The worksheets included questions involving the shooting and the death penalty. It was offered as part of a subscription service from Scholastic Corporation, according to ABC. One multiple choice question referenced March for Our Lives co-founder Cameron Kasky, who The New York Times’ quoted in an October Upfront magazine article about death penalty, ABC reported. “In the article, Cameron Kasky says, ‘Let him rot forever.’ His tone can best be described as ___,” the question reads. Answers include “angry,” “fearful,” “gloomy” and “truthful.” This worksheet was given to students in @BrowardSchools. I cannot begin to express how pathetic I find this. Our schoolboard should add this to the list of 1000+ reasons to be ashamed. pic.twitter.com/tEl3BzTLg0 — Cameron Kasky (@cameron_kasky) December 7, 2018 Upfront is a current events magazine that provides high school students…

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