Florida Department of Education

Part of the controversial Parental Rights in Education law won't go into effect immediately, according to a memo issued by the Florida Department of Education. The law's ban on classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity won't apply to grades four and up until the state provides more guidance.

Following through on a recommendation from Gov. Ron DeSantis, the State Board of Education on Friday appointed Sen. Manny Diaz Jr. as Florida’s next education commissioner. Diaz, a Hialeah Republican, will replace Commissioner Richard Corcoran, who is stepping down effective Sunday.

Soon-to-be Education Commissioner Manny Diaz has worn many hats in his career, starting with teaching geography, history, social studies and psychology at public high schools in Miami. Today, he’s a Republican state Senator from Hialeah and works as the Vice President of Finance for Doral College. Diaz is also a staunch supporter of school choice which he says is falsely equated as being against public schools.

Soon-to-be Education Commissioner Manny Diaz has worn many hats in his career, starting with teaching geography, history, social studies and psychology at public high schools in Miami. Today, he’s a Republican state Senator from Hialeah and works as the Vice President of Finance for Doral College. Diaz is also a staunch supporter of school choice which he says is falsely equated as being against public schools.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is recommending state Sen. Manny Diaz, R-Hialeah to replace outgoing education commissioner Richard Corcoran. Corcoran announced in early March he would step down at the end of April, and has been on a “goodbye tour” of sorts.

The Leon County School District is waiting to see what the state education department does next, after it rejected an unprecedented number of school textbooks, about 41% of what was submitted. More than 70% of submissions for mathematics in grades K-5 were tossed and only one publisher made that list. That’s leaving school districts like Leon, with few options.

After a high-profile announcement Friday about rejecting math textbooks submitted for adoption by the state, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Education are providing few specifics about how the books violated academic standards.

Florida Education Richard Corcoran announced Wednesday he will step down from his position at the end of April, and a powerful South Florida Republican lawmaker with charter school ties is being floated as his successor.

The Florida Department of Education is trying to quash a federal cease-and-desist order issued in a fight over local school mask mandates.The federal government issued the order after the State Board of Education began withholding additional funding from Broward and Alachua County School Districts.

An appeals court says it has “serious doubts” about a circuit court ruling that says Gov. Ron DeSantis overstepped his authority in an executive order banning school districts from requiring students wear face coverings. The appellate court has put back a stay on a ruling that allowed the districts to keep their mask mandates.