By Ana Ceballos An effort to ban Florida public schools from serving students ultra-processed foods, such as sugary drinks and artificially colored snacks, hit a snag in a state Senate committee on Tuesday after facing pushback from the industry that sells those products. “There is a... Continue Reading
By Jesse Scheckner A bill to protect minors from predators on social media is moving forward in the Senate with mostly positive reviews, though there are some concerns about cybersecurity dangers. Members of the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee voted 7-2 for the measure (SB 868), which... Continue Reading
By Gabrielle Russon Cities, universities and government entities could be banned from flying pride flags and other banners that express “political viewpoints’ under a bill sponsored by Sen. Randy Fine. The Senate Community Affairs Committee supported the measure (SB 100) via a 5-3... Continue Reading
By Jeffrey S. Solochek As Florida’s voucher program has grown, school district officials have raised concerns about their ability to keep track of students and funding as they move in and out of classrooms. The state Senate has proposed changing the education funding program to... Continue Reading
By Andrew Powell The Senate PreK-12 Education Appropriations Committee unanimously advanced a measure 8-0 that seeks to bolster the safety of Florida’s schools. Zephyrhills Republican Sen. Danny Burgess presented the bill (SB 1470) to the committee. Burgess said the legislation was... Continue Reading
By A.G. Gancarski Sen. Joe Gruters’ legislation (SB 1058) requiring School Boards to “adopt and acquire” materials using the Gulf of America name is one step closer to the Senate floor. And he didn’t even have to show up to make his case. The Appropriations Committee... Continue Reading
Teenagers as young as 14 could soon be allowed to work overnight shifts as part of an effort in the Republican-led Legislature to roll back major aspects of the state’s child labor laws. The proposal — scheduled to be heard in a Florida Senate committee Tuesday morning — comes... Continue Reading
By News Service Florida With massive growth in school voucher programs, the Florida Senate on Friday released a plan that, in part, would seek to address funding concerns as students move between schools. The Senate Pre-K-12 Education Appropriations Committee is scheduled Wednesday to take up... Continue Reading
By Veronica Crespo The “Gulf of America” bills continue to clear hurdles in the Florida Legislature. HB 575, sponsored by Rep. Juan Porras and Rep. Tyler Sirois, was moved forward by State Affairs Committee on Thursday. It would require the state to refer to the body of water... Continue Reading
By A.G. Gancarski A House proposal to impose standards on elementary school students demonstrating mastery of cursive writing cleared its final committee without a “no” vote, though with qualms about students having to show they understand what is being taught. Despite concerns of... Continue Reading
By Danielle Prieur In Florida, a student is considered truant if they accumulate 15 or more unexcused absences within a 90-calendar-day period. A bill making its way through the Florida legislature aims to tackle truancy by putting more emphasis on parent engagement and school prevention in... Continue Reading
By Andrew Powell The Senate Fiscal Policy Committee unanimously advanced a measure that seeks to implement workforce training for high school students with autism spectrum disorder. Pensacola Republican Sen. Don Gaetz introduced the bill (SB 102) to the committee and detailed how the... Continue Reading
