Florida Department of Education

School districts that closed for at least a day because of Hurricane Ian will have flexibility related to reporting enrollment, according to the Florida Department of Education. Districts periodically report enrollment numbers and other information to the state that can affect their funding.

The 49% pass rate was down from 51% in 2021.

Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. says federal guidelines aimed at preventing discrimination against students based on such things as gender identity would “vastly expand the application” of Title IX, a federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in educational institutions. He told school districts to ignore the new guidelines.

The Florida Education Association president says the latest series of Supreme Court rulings has already muddied the separation of church and state.

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.