School Boards

In making his proposal, state GOP Chairman Joe Gruters says the school board races have grown increasingly political.

State Sen. Joe Gruters says the measure is meant to bringing more transparency to school boards.

An effort to return school board elections to partisan races is back—with a powerful sponsor.

The state Department of Education has withheld hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal funding from the districts because of their masking policies, defying warnings from the Biden administration.

The state asked an administrative judge to toss the challenge by six school boards. The court is slated to hear the case Thursday morning.

Gov. Ron DeSantis says local law enforcement can handle any complaints and that the Justice Department is trying to silence parents.

The federal government recently announced it would investigate threats against local school board members. The announcement comes amid growing acrimony between parental groups and public school leaders over issues like face masks and critical race theory. Yet, where some see a threat—others see an exercise of free speech.

School boards across the country are grappling with how to manage school board meetings where emotions increasingly run high.

The DeSantis administration has asked an appeals court to block challenges filed by five school boards against a Department of Health rule aimed at preventing student mask mandates.

Bills filed in the Florida House and Senate would give voters a say in whether to turn school board elections into partisan contests.

The Miami-Dade County School Board, the NAACP and other parties say the department did not have a legal basis for a rule aimed at preventing district mask mandates.

Board members voted 6-1 to require that all students and staff wear masks on school grounds starting Monday. The mandate will be in place for 90 days and allows for limited medical exemptions.