florida

Hit the snooze button: States debate later high school start times

BY: - September 18, 2023

California and Florida have become the first states to require later public school start times, a response to reams of research showing significant advantages for high school students who can get more sleep by beginning their day at 8:30 a.m. or later. But such changes come with difficult ripple effects — upended bus schedules, later starts […]

COMMENTARY
Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice (left) asks a question of four state education leaders on June 30, 2023, at the organization's annual summit in Philadelphia.The panelists (from left) are South Carolina Education Superintendent Ellen Weaver, Oklahoma Education Superintendent Ryan Walters, Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. and Arkansas Education Secretary Jacob Oliva. (Screenshot from Rightside Broadcasting coverage)

Arkansas education chief stands out as voice of reason at Moms for Liberty rally

BY: - July 10, 2023

I think most of us can agree the following quote makes sense and might even be considered a progressive position. “We’re working on reimagining the early learning space so that every parent who wants an opportunity to participate in high-quality child care or pre-kindergarten has the ability to do so. … There’s a direct correlation […]

Red and blue state divide grows even wider in 2023’s top voting and election laws

BY: - June 26, 2023

Next year’s elections are still 16 months away. But for voters, perhaps the most important developments took place during the first half of this year — when states drafted and passed the legislation that will shape how those contests are run. “The rules that will govern the 2024 election are being written today,” said Megan […]

Federal judge in Florida blocks Biden administration from releasing some migrants

BY: and - May 12, 2023

A federal judge in Florida in a late Thursday order granted the state’s emergency request to temporarily halt a new Biden administration policy to release from federal custody some immigrants who enter the country without prior authorization.  The order from U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell II, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, […]

Arkansas Teacher of the Year Jessica Saum, State Board of Education (SBE) Member Kathy McFetridge, Governor-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Secretary of Education nominee Jacob Oliva, SBE Member Randy Henderson and SBE Member Lisa Hunter

Nominee for Arkansas education chief described as goal-driven, ambitious

BY: - January 9, 2023

When Jacob Oliva arrived at Florida’s Flagler County School District nearly 25 years ago, his first employer remembers him as an enthusiastic teacher out to change the world. Oliva had a big impact on the district, working his way up from a special education teacher to superintendent during his 17-year tenure. In 2017, he moved […]

Venezuelan migrants stand in line for food provided by Annunciation House in El Paso, Texas, in September 2022.

New plan for Venezuelan migrants will accept some into the U.S., send others to Mexico

BY: - October 13, 2022

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Wednesday night announced new guidelines for Venezuelan migrants, under which some will have a pathway to temporary residence in the United States and others who crossed the border without authorization will be sent back to Mexico. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced an agreement between Mexico […]

Poll worker and voter in Georgia in May 2022.

The fight against an age-old effort to block Americans from voting

BY: and - October 10, 2022

This ProPublica story was co-published with Gray TV/Investigate TV and is republished here under a Creative Commons license. It is part of The Right to Read, a series examining America’s literacy crisis.   For nearly 10 hours on Georgia’s primary day, Olivia Coley-Pearson tracked down every potential voter she could find, working two cellphones as […]

U.S. House panel investigating Jan. 6 attack postpones hearing

BY: - September 27, 2022

WASHINGTON — A Wednesday hearing planned by the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol has been postponed due to Hurricane Ian nearing landfall in Florida. A new date has not been announced. “In light of Hurricane Ian bearing down on parts of Florida, we have decided to […]

U.S. Justice Department to appeal Trump special master order

BY: - September 8, 2022

The U.S. Justice Department will appeal a Florida federal judge’s ruling this week appointing an independent arbiter to review thousands of sensitive materials the FBI seized from former President Donald Trump’s Palm Beach residence, the department notified the court Thursday. Government prosecutors are also asking U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon not to force them […]

Jewish congregations mount legal challenges to state abortion bans

BY: - August 30, 2022

WASHINGTON — Thousands of years of Jewish scripture make it clear that access to abortion care is a requirement of Jewish law and practice, according to Rabbi Karen Bogard. “We preserve life at all costs,” she said in an interview with States Newsroom. “But there is a difference between that which is living, and that […]

COMMENTARY

To prevent shootings, teachers need to be armed with information, not guns

BY: - August 16, 2022

By Matthew T. Mangino Schools do not need more resource officers, armed guards or for that matter armed teachers. Schools need to become adept at gathering information, sharing intelligence and, most importantly, making sense of what they learn. In Uvalde, Texas, we’ve learned far too well that good guys — many good guys — with […]