The big story: Citing financial and enrollment woes, a Pinellas County charter alternative high school informed the district it will close at the end of October.
Pinellas MycroSchool, which first opened in 2012, sent a letter to the district over the weekend saying it had shrunk to 80 students after projecting to have 110.
“They said they don’t even have money to make payroll,” deputy superintendent Stephanie Woodford said.
The district put MycroSchool on a short leash back in February, extending its contract by just one year. Officials said it failed to keep accurate attendance records and it was claiming funds for special education services it did not provide.
School board members reluctantly approved the extension, including in the contract a long list of items that could lead to its nonrenewal or termination if not met. The district never had to act.
As the charter ceases operations, its students will have to find other ways to complete their education.
“We’ve got to take care of each of these kids,” Woodford said. “We’re going to look student by student and see what’s their best option.”
Hot topics
Vaccinations: Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski expanded on why the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops is fighting the state over religious exemptions to school vaccine mandates, State Affairs reports. “Somebody going to a Catholic school expects the Catholic school to be Catholic,” he said, noting the church does not have religious objections to vaccines.
Hurricane Isaias aftermath: Santa Rosa County schools established temporary bus stops to allow classes to resume while cleanup continues, WEAR reports.
Engineering: The FAMU-FSU College of Engineering is building a $152 million expansion that includes research labs, classrooms and study space, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.
Enrollment: Orange County schools found that more than half of their enrollment decline this fall owed to a decrease in immigrant students, WKMG reports.
Contract talks: A special magistrate has devised a resolution for the Orange County school district’s health insurance dispute that teachers union officials have accepted, the Orlando Sentinel reports. District officials said they are reviewing the recommendations, Spectrum 13 reports.
Aliases and applications: A former Florida teacher who was accused of having sex with a student was hired by a Boston-area school district after legally changing his name and lying on his job application, WBTS reports.
From the court docket ... A Leon County family is suing a local private school, accusing it of discrimination after it refused to allow their child to return for his senior year, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.
Number of the day
20,000 — That’s the number of citations issued in a month to Broward County drivers for passing school buses with their stop arms extended. “What’s happening is people are trying to beat the bus, and you shouldn’t want to do that,” said Officer Michael Rosario of the Broward County Schools Police unit. Read more from WTVJ.
Quick quiz
The Escambia County school board has been fighting a lawsuit over whether its decision to “And Tango Makes Three” violated students’ First Amendment rights. What’s the latest ruling in the three-year-old case?
a) Judges told the district and plaintiffs to settle their differences in arbitration
b) Judges told school board members they must testify about their decisions
c) Judges said the book should go back on the shelves immediately
Find the answer in this story from Florida Phoenix.
Don’t miss a story. Here’s a link to yesterday’s roundup.
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