Florida schools still need more teachers

The big story: The school year began with a teacher shortage severe enough to have district officials talking about emergency declarations.

Many classes went from substitute to substitute, if they were lucky enough to find one. Plenty of instances found the teachers in the school giving up their planning time to cover the openings, pushing them to the brink, too.

As the semester nears an end, the numbers don’t look much better. And some leaders are predicting they’ll worsen after winter break.

“Winter break is a natural point in time when a lot of people leave, retire, what have you, and don’t come back,” said Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association, the statewide teachers union. Read on for more.

Hot topics

Early education: Educators say the Tampa Bay area is experiencing a child care crisis, with opportunities worsened by the pandemic.

Holiday giving: Seminole County schools partnered with community groups to collect donations for the wish lists of the neediest students, WKMG reports.

Gender issues: The legal battle over Florida’s statute relating to the instruction of gender identity and sexual orientation has drawn lines between conservative and liberal states, as their attorneys general file briefs for and against the law, the News Service of Florida reports. • The Alachua County school district has stopped using its LGBTQ student support guide after receiving a warning from the state that it might violate state law, Alachua Chronicle reports. • The Hillsborough County School Board will discuss its compliance with the law when it meets Tuesday, WFTX reports. • State Board of Education members are pushing the issue with districts, CBS News reports.

Library books: One Clay County resident is responsible for the push to remove more than 100 books from public school libraries, contending they are not appropriate for children. He says he is just getting started, Popular Information reports.

Religion in school: A prominent Muslim group is calling for a federal investigation into a Broward County charter school teacher who was caught on video appearing to criticize Muslim students for praying in the school, the Miami Herald reports. They are calling the incident a hate crime.

School board politics: Hernando County School Board member Linda Prescott faces criticism over removing political signs during the election season, Suncoast News reports.

Superintendents: The Broward County School Board will reconsider the fate of superintendent Vickie Cartwright when it meets Tuesday, the Sun-Sentinel reports. The board fired Cartwright with four different members, who were replaced in the November election. • The Sarasota County School Board will decide whether to approve a negotiated separation agreement with superintendent Brennan Asplen, WTSP reports. • There’s been a revolving door on the superintendent’s office in the nation’s largest school districts since the pandemic, with some of the most notable scenarios coming in Florida, The 74 reports.

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From the police blotter ... A Duval County school custodian facing multiple sexual battery charges is accused of impregnating a student, WJXT reports.

Don’t miss a story. Here’s a link to yesterday’s roundup.

Before you go ... Can’t ever get enough of Steve Martin and Martin Short? While “Only Murders in the Building” is on hiatus, here’s an SNL monologue to tide you over.

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